Falling For My Enemy

by Cassandra Dee

  “Hey Morgan,” she sang. “I’m baaack! Look what Nick got me!” she giggled, holding up a bulging shopping bag. “I swear, the personal shoppers at Saks are so jealous because he buys me anything I want,” my friend sang, licking her lips with glee. “Everyone wants to be me!”

  I nodded numbly.

  “Welcome back,” was my low mumble. I hadn’t seen Evelyn in a week, but that was okay. It was better to be on my own. I didn’t want anyone to see me in this state, anyways. But my friend came into the bedroom then, her expression concerned.

  “Oh Morgan,” she said sympathetically, looking over my uncombed hair and morose expression. “You’ve got to pull yourself out of this slump. It’s crazy. Have you been eating? Have you gone outside? You look like a ghost, you’re so pale and lifeless.”

  I smiled wanly.

  “I’ve been sitting by the window, so there was some sunshine,” came my half-hearted reply. “It’s not so bad. I’m getting my Vitamin D.”

  “Not so bad?” Evelyn pooh-poohed. “Please, you’re wasting away right in front of my eyes. Here,” she said, putting down her coat and purse. “Let me make you some toast at least.”

  But before Evelyn could waltz to the tiny utility kitchen, I held up the receipt for my flight.

  “Evelyn, who paid for my ticket?” I asked hesitantly. “It says here that ABC Enterprises purchased my return flight. Who is that? It’s not you, is it?”

  Evelyn laughed lightly.

  “Of course that isn’t me,” she said. “Your flight was expensive, and I don’t have money like that.”

  I nodded.

  “So who is ABC then?” I asked slowly. “Was it your family? But that can’t be because you guys are just like me and my mom.”

  Evelyn shook her head.

  “Of course not,” she said with exasperation. “My fam is lucky if they have meat on the table for dinner at nights. No, when you called I asked my boyfriend to pay for your ticket. It’s nothing to him,” she bragged. “Six hundred dollars is chump change for Nicholas.”

  My head spun.

  “Is this a new guy?” was my query. “Or is it the same one I met way back when?”

  Evelyn’s eyes lit up.

  “The same,” she bragged. “From the Firehouse, remember? We went there together months ago, and you met him? He’s so loving,” she purred. “Nick buys me anything I want.”

  I nodded, but my mind churned. Because slowly, the parts were falling into place.

  “What does Nick do?” I asked slowly. “Is he in banking? Construction? Media?”

  Evelyn waved her hand airily.

  “Oh, a little of this, a little of that. Why?” she asked curiously, fixing me with a stare. “What does it matter? He paid for your ticket, so you should feel grateful.”

  My head nodded slowly.

  “I am grateful,” were my words. “But what does your boyfriend do Evelyn? And does he know Stone Evans?”

  Evelyn shrugged, totally unconcerned.

  “Honestly, I have no idea what Nick does for a living. That’s the beauty of life,” she trilled. “He makes the money and I spend it. But Nick is a bigwig,” she said, lowering her voice conspiratorially. “He gets invites to lots of important event, so I’m sure he knows Stone,” she boasted proudly. “After all, billionaires always know other billionaires. There aren’t that many in the city.”

  A sick feeling of dread filled my stomach, and nausea made it churn. But before I could get another word out, Evelyn waltzed around the small room, doing an air dance.

  “Besides,” she added. “I think you should reach out to Stone. What happened wasn’t so bad, Morgan. Every couple fights. So yours was a little dramatic, sure, with you getting kicked off a plane and losing your job in one fell swoop. But you should get in touch. Billionaires are in short supply, you know,” she said to me reprovingly. “If you’re not on it, some other girl will be.”

  My heart contracted painfully. Of course, Stone was highly sought after by all sorts of women. But my mind couldn’t get off its current course, and the suspicion of betrayal was foremost in my thoughts.

  “Evelyn,” I said taking a deep breath. “I know I’ve been down in the dumps recently, mooning on about Stone this and that. But tell me,” I said seriously now. “Why were you always taking pictures when we chatted via video? Why were you always clicking away?”

  “Oh that,” laughed Evelyn, her giggle a little too high-pitched. “You know the reason. It’s because I want Nick to buy a plane too, so I figured if I showed how nice yours was, he’d be envious and buy me one too. Keeping up with the Joneses and all that, remember?”

  My head nodded slowly, my mind still churning.

  “But it was more than that,” came my slow words. “Even when it was just a hotel room, or when I was at Mr. Evans’s apartment, you were always taking pictures. Why? What was so interesting?”

  Evelyn grew defensive then.

  “Because his place is so nice!” she insisted. “Stone Evans lives like a king, and I wanted to show those pictures to my boyfriend.”

  “But even the hotel room?” I pushed, staring at her hard now. “Why would you need pictures of that?”

  “Okay, okay!” my buddy said, holding her hands up in the air. “You got me! Nick Prescott’s not perfect,” she admitted, rolling her eyes. “He should be treating me like a queen, but he doesn’t. Sometimes we stay in four-star hotels, or even three,” she said with a grimace. “I wanted to show him that you always got white glove treatment so that he’d do the same for me. Okay? Does that make you happy?”

  I nodded, but there was more to it than that.

  “It’s Mr. Prescott who wanted you to take those pictures, isn’t it?” I asked slowly. “He asked you to snap photos whenever you were on video chat with me.”

  Evelyn rolled her eyes once more.

  “So?” she asked belligerently. “What’s the big deal? A photo is a photo, who cares if he asked me?”

  With that admission, the last puzzle piece fell into place.

  “Evelyn,” I said slowly. “You’ve been used. I’ve been used as well, and we didn’t even know it.”

  “What do you mean?” asked my friend, exasperation in her voice. “Trust me, I haven’t been used. Mr. Prescott has bought me so many things. He even pays the rent on this apartment,” she said, shooting me a pointed glance.

  “Right,” was my acknowledgment. “But Evelyn, you’ve been paying a price. You just didn’t know it.”

  “Of course I’ve been paying a price,” she huffed mightily. “Nick Prescott is seventy years old, Morgan. You think I love being with wrinkled old dues who smell like moth balls? Of course not. But most billionaires are septuagenarians. You just got lucky, my friend. Stone Evans is one in a million – hot and rich.”

  I nodded again.

  “But Evelyn,” I said. “You’ve been used. Me too. We’re just pawns in this awful chess game between powerful men.”

  This time, exasperation entered the blonde’s eyes.

  “I have no idea what you’re talking about,” she snapped. “What the hell is going on? Are you insane, Morgan? Too long indoors has done a number on your brain cells.”

  But I shook my head, refuting the idea.

  “No, it’s not that,” were my slow words. “We’ve been used, Evelyn. You by your boyfriend, and me by your boyfriend as well, although we didn’t know it.”

  “Please, will you stop saying the same thing like a broken record?” sputtered Evelyn. “You’ve only met Nick once. How in the world is he using you?”

  I took a deep breath.

  “My guess is that Stone Evans and Nick Prescott are competitors,” I said in one go. “We have no idea how or in what respect. But they probably have their fingers in a bunch of different industries, and the minute Nick realized that you were my close friend, he began setting you up.”

  “But how?” asked Evelyn, horror clouding her face.

  “That’s the thing,” was m
y slow reply. “Stone told me that there have been leaks within his company. Secrets getting out, and each of the leaks were traced to cities he’d been in. Atlanta. Dallas. Boca Raton, Florida. He suspected me of them.”

  “Oh baloney,” said Evelyn disdainfully. “Millions of people live in those cities. That’s a bunch of hooey he fed you to get you out of his life.” Her voice was cruel this time, slicing into my heart, but I made myself go on.

  “I didn’t understand it either back then. He pointed to my laptop, and specifically, to my laptop camera. Stone said that I’d been passing secrets, stating outright that I was the leak. I didn’t listen back then,” were my slow words, “because I thought he was pulling reasons out of thin air to get rid of me.”

  “He was!” protested Evelyn. “Making like we’re some top secret super spies? Please. We’re working class girls from Queens. How in the world are we on par with the Secret Service or the KGB? This is just pure bullshit. He’s awful, Morgan,” she said sympathetically. “You’re better off without Stone Evans.”

  But I shook my head regretfully, almost unable to look my friend in the eye now.

  “No Evelyn,” was my quiet voice. “He was right all along. Like I said, we’ve been used by Nick Prescott, you and me both.”

  “What?” she asked, her voice scalding. “Get off your high horse, Morgan. It hurts to be dumped, but don’t go around blaming my guy for your problems. He bought you your return ticket, don’t forget that.”

  I nodded.

  “I know, but what I’m saying is true.”

  This time, Evelyn lost it.

  “You’re so bullshit,” she spat. “I’m not afraid. Nick Prescott can handle you.”

  “He can,” I acknowledged with a sad smile. “And you too. Because like I said, we’ve been used. Nick asked you to take those photos when we were on video chat because he realized that Stone leaves papers everywhere. Personal and confidential items,” I said sadly. “Documents that were stamped in red across the top holding business secrets. And when you had those photos, he probably took them to his tech department, and had the snaps blown up and scrutinized, thereby getting a glimpse into Stone’s world.”

  “What a load of horse crap,” Evelyn scoffed, her expression angry now. “So he asked me to take photos. But you know what? That was a long time ago, and Nick never even asked to see them. I was doing it because Mr. Prescott was thinking of buying a plane, but he forgot about the whole thing. He’s never seen your blasted Elite Air pics.”

  I nodded.

  “But didn’t he buy you a new laptop, Evelyn?” I asked slowly. “You told me that on one of your calls.”

  “Of course he did,” she said airily. “Nick wants me to have the best, and a new laptop is part and parcel of his generosity. He got me the best of the best, and that’s why our video chats were always in high def.”

  “Did he give it to you wrapped? Still in the box and all that?”

  “Of course!” she huffed. “Brand new! What, you think he got me a refurbished one? No way.”

  “No, it’s not that,” I continued, my words laced with pain now. “What I mean is that he probably bugged your laptop, Evelyn. Every time you called me, he probably had a live video stream straight to his intelligence ops. They were getting direct feeds of our chats.”

  Evelyn exploded again.

  “But why would he ask me to take pictures?” she protested angrily. “If he had a live feed this whole time, why would he want me to take pictures?”

  “It’s just a cover-up,” I said, suddenly tired. “This whole thing about buying a plane was a cover-up for corporate espionage. He fed you that story so that you’d keep on chatting, taking photos while the whole time. You were being used as a mole. I’m sorry, Evelyn,” was my sorrowful reply. “We’ve been used, you and me both. It’s terrible but true.”

  But my friend wouldn’t hear of it.

  “No,” she said, menace lacing the word. “You’re the one who’s nuts. You’re the one who’s off the reservation, drowning in the deep end. You’ve gone psycho what with getting dumped and not seeing a soul for the last three months. You’re crazy, Morgan, and you have two hours to get out of here. Nick pays the rent on this place, and there’s no way he’d let you stay knowing of these baseless accusations.”

  I nodded, but my heart was merely a lump of cold, dead coal in my chest. Because why did I care about Nick Prescott? The truth was I didn’t. These breakthroughs only made me realize what truly mattered – that in fact, Stone Evans’s accusations had been right. I’d been an unsuspecting honeypot, giving away the billionaire’s secrets without even knowing it.

  With that, I turned away from my friend to pack, her growing hysterics ringing in my ears.

  “Wait until I tell my boyfriend!” she shrieked. “Wait until I tell Nick what you’ve said!”

  “Go ahead,” was my listless reply, throwing a couple shirts and pants into a ratty duffel. “He doesn’t care Evelyn. Now that we’re onto him, it just means that this avenue for spying is closed. He’ll find another way. Nick Prescott’s been around for decades and is an expert at this stuff. You and I merely presented a novel opportunity.”

  “You’re saying that he wanted me for information?” Evelyn shrieked at the top of her lungs. “You’re no friend of mine!” she hurled. “And after all I’ve done for you.”

  I stopped, looking up at my pretty blonde friend.

  “That’s not what I’m saying,” were my quiet words. “But I can’t be a part of this anymore. I can’t tell you what to do, or not do, but something here is rotted to the core, and I have to get out. Whether you stay is up to you, but for me, this charade is over.”

  While my friend watched, I zipped up my duffel, slinging it over one shoulder.

  “Thank you,” I said, stopping by the door and looking into her flickering blue eyes. “I don’t blame you for what’s happened. After all, we were nothing but pawns used by powerful men. But for me, this game is over.”

  Without another look, I made my way down the rickety stairs and stepped out into the crowded, bustling street below. It felt strange to be out in the world again. I’d been sequestered for so long, that even the city air filling my lungs tasted odd, like a mixture of steam, sweat and unbridled humanity. But it was worth it. The mystery had been solved and knowing the truth now set me free. Because I wanted to confront Stone with my findings … and maybe, just maybe, we’d find a way through this.

  14

  Stone

  It’s been a couple of long months, that’s for sure. Without Morgan in my life, the world’s grown dim. People come in and out, but I’m not really listening. Instead, my head nods, my eyes focused on something in the distance, and the underlings scurry out once more, mumbling about this or that.

  It doesn’t matter. Gravity Holdings has been around for decades now. I have good people on staff, and they make sure this ship runs even if I’m only nominally at the helm now. Because Morgan’s occupied all my thoughts, and every waking moment is filled with memories of the curvy girl.

  Suddenly, my secretary buzzed from the outside.

  “A woman is here to see you,” said Annie in a quiet voice.

  “Who?” I growled, my tone uncompromising. People don’t usually drop in on the CEO unexpectedly.

  “Someone I think you want to see,” Annie said again, her voice insistent despite its low tone.

  I shrugged because my secretary knows me well. She’s been with me for decades now and despite her busybody ways, I trust Annie’s judgment. My head nodded curtly.

  “Show her in.”

  And when the door opened, the air in my lungs disappeared within seconds because suddenly, Morgan was here. The beautiful brunette was as ripe as ever, those brown eyes searching.

  “Stone,” came that dulcet voice. “Hello again.”

  I couldn’t speak at first, a million emotions hammering through my soul.

  “Morgan,” I finally managed in a choked voice. “What
brings you to my office?”

  The brunette approached my desk, swaying with every step. Oh god, she was gorgeous. Unbelievably so, better than a thousand memories put together.

  “I have news,” she said in a low tone. “And I’m here to apologize.”

  Keeping my breathing even, I looked into those caramel eyes.

  “For what?”

  This time, she looked away, her gaze drifting to the floor-to-ceiling windows behind my desk. The view was amazing for sure. The Freedom Tower rose to the skies behind me, with the ribs of the Oculus soaring from left field. But Morgan was on a mission. Those wide pools turned back to me, determined to be heard.

  “I want to apologize for everything,” she said slowly. “Every word you said that last day was true. I accidentally was a “spy” for one of your rivals, but I didn’t know,” she added in a low tone. “I was being used, as was my friend Evelyn.”

  “I see you figured it out,” came my gravelly intonation. “After all this time.”

  “It took three months to put things together,” she acknowledged. “But there’s a reason. I fell into a deep depression, speaking with no one, and shut off from the outside world. Only when I saw that my plane ticket from Boca was paid for by Nick Prescott’s company, did I realize the scope of the wrongdoing. He set up Evelyn,” came her grim words. “Every call, we were being recorded. That’s how he got his hands on your business documents, zooming in with the latest technology. And I’m sorry, Stone,” she said, her words quick now. “I had no idea. If I’d known, I’d never have let it happen.”

  I was silent for a moment, steepling my fingers in thought. But suddenly, Morgan interrupted, her gaze shocked.

  “Wait a minute, you knew all this,” she whispered, eyes alight. “You figured this all out.”

  “Of course I did,” came my neutral tone. “We figured you were being manipulated by Nick Prescott. That guy’s a canny fuck, and he’ll go to any lengths, even if it means using two unsuspecting girls.”

  Morgan paused, her expression confused.

  “But if you knew I was being used, why did you blame it on me? If you knew I was an unwitting participant, why didn’t you reach out? Why did you eject me from the plane with nothing but my passport?” she asked in a hoarse, pained voice.