Secrets (Lords of the City)

by Alice Ward

  “Thanks for the talk, Stacey. I feel much better.”

  “Anytime, Chels.”

  ***

  I took a cab to the office so I could have some time alone to calm my nerves. I knew that the office would be buzzing with the news that Charles had been fired, but I had no idea which of my colleagues knew the reason behind his termination. I couldn’t imagine that anyone would be sad to see him go, but people had a way of surprising you. As the cab moved through the city, I weighed my options. I could either walk in and act like nothing had happened, or I could face the problem head on. I decided on the latter.

  The car slowed to a stop at the curb and I tossed the driver a twenty and told him to keep the change. I needed to get through the doors before I lost my nerve. I stepped into the building and found the hallway empty. Instead of slinking to my office unnoticed, I walked straight to Pete’s door.

  “Come in,” he responded to my firm knock. His eyes widened in surprise as I pushed the door open and stepped into the office. He jumped up from his desk and crossed the room, resting a reassuring hand on my shoulder.

  “Chelsea, are you okay? I wasn’t expecting to see you today. I’m so sorry for what you went through with Charles last night. I knew he could be a bit crass, but I never thought he’d be capable of something like that. I’ve already delegated your workload for today. If you’d like to go home, I’d completely understand.”

  “Thank you, Pete,” I replied with a smile. “But I’m fine, really. I think getting back to work as usual is exactly what I need. I just wanted to check in with you since we didn’t get a chance to talk last night. I wanted to thank you for taking my word about what happened. And I was curious if anyone else knows the real reason Charles was fired.”

  “You don’t have to thank me for anything,” Pete assured me. “Out of respect for your privacy, I haven’t told anyone what happened. I’m not trying to hide the truth, mind you. But I assumed it wasn’t something you’d want broadcasted.” He gestured to the seat in front of his desk and I took it.

  “I appreciate that,” I said as he settled in behind his computer. “If you’ve already covered my duties for the day, would you mind if I get started on the Cairo tablets? I know they arrived yesterday and I’ve been dying to unpack them.”

  “Of course,” Pete agreed with a ready smile. “In fact, there’s something I’d like to talk to you about. I was going to wait until the arrangements are finalized, but since you’re here…”

  “What is it?” I asked, my voice dripping with curiosity. Pete seemed awfully excited about something.

  “I know that running the PR department was never your dream. And the last thing I want to do is lose you, be it to another museum or a doctorate program. Funds have recently become available that would allow us to expand our ancient documents collection. The funds would also allow the society to send you to graduate school. In exchange, we’d like you to work here for at least five years after you graduate. But we won’t make that a contractual obligation. Does that sound like something you’d be interested in?”

  I couldn’t believe what I was hearing and not in a good way. Plenty of places paid for their employees to continue their education, but no one did it with no strings attached. And as the new head of the public relations department, I’d have been one of the first to hear about a large donation. The whole thing reeked of Drake and I refused to pretend otherwise. I stared back at Pete, my eyebrows raised and my arms crossed over my chest.

  “These funds that just became available. Where did they come from?”

  Pete’s face flushed pink and he looked away from me. “The donor prefers to remain anonymous.”

  “I have access to our accounts, Pete,” I reminded him with tempered frustration. “I can trace the donation myself or you can save me the time and just tell me what I already know.”

  Pete cleared his throat and stared back at me. “Yes, Drake is the one who donated the money. When we spoke last night, he explained how vital it was that you didn’t have to work with Charles anymore. I’d have fired him anyway, of course, and I told your boyfriend as much. He offered a large check as a token of his gratitude. The only condition was that some of the money goes to helping you fulfill your dreams. It’s a win for everyone, Chelsea.”

  I can’t believe he’s done it again. He throws money at me every time he pulls away, like it’s supposed to make everything okay. I will not be bought.

  “How much did he give you?” I asked with a sigh.

  “Half a million dollars,” Pete replied with a tentative grin. “Just think of all of the good we’ll be able to do with the money. I want to put most of it into our elementary education program.”

  “That’s a wonderful idea,” I agreed, lifting my chin. “In fact, put all of it there. I can’t accept your offer, Pete. Not under these circumstances.”

  Pete’s eyes darted about the room as he shifted nervously in his seat. “Mr. Waters made it abundantly clear that he wanted a portion of the money spent on you. It’s a contingency of the donation, Chelsea.”

  I stood up and made my way to the door. “You let me worry about Mr. Waters.”

  CHAPTER 2

  e

  I was so infuriated by Drake that I spent the entire day ignoring his calls and texts. Piper and I spent the evening eating junk food and watching reality television. I didn’t tell her about the latest development with Drake. She was still mad enough about him leaving after Charles’ attack. After a near sleepless night, I still wasn’t sure how to respond to the donation and the conditions Drake attached to it. As I dressed for the day, I vowed to push Drake out of my mind and focus on my new job. But as Piper and I stepped through the front door of our building, I realized I couldn’t avoid Drake any longer. His limo was parked by the curb and he was leaning against it, waiting for me.

  “Good morning, Piper. Chelsea, could we please talk?” he asked, turning from Piper to me.

  “I’m running late for work,” I replied, my voice clipped and impatient.

  “I’ve already called Pete and told him you’ll be late. I’d like to take you to breakfast,” he pressed.

  I turned to Piper, who raised her eyebrows and her nose as if to say “I wouldn’t give him the time of day, but this is your call.” I shot her a look that said “I’m annoyed, but I’m going to listen to him.”

  “Tell Pete I won’t be long,” I said, wrapping her in a half hug. “Get going, or you’ll miss the train.”

  “Check in with me when you get to work,” she instructed before pulling away from me. Drake and I watched in silence as she made her way down the sidewalk. Finally, I turned and stared at him with my hands on my hips.

  “I don’t even know where to start with you,” I hissed.

  Drake glanced around the block, straightening his aqua silk tie. “Chelsea, please just get in the limo. You can yell at me all you want in there.” He held the door open and gestured for me to slide in. I remained rooted to the ground, fuming with anger.

  “You can’t tell the whole world what to do, Drake. And you can’t throw money at me and expect for it to make up for your absence. I’m not sure I can do this.” My voice broke as I finally admitted my fear.

  Drake reached out, took my hand, and stared patiently into my eyes. “Please, Chelsea. Just get in the car.”

  “I’m not really hungry,” I mumbled as I finally obeyed.

  “Fine, then I’ll just give you a ride to work,” he replied as he joined me. He gave Vince my office address before raising the glass partition.

  “I take it you’re upset about my donation,” he said, buckling his seat belt.

  “I’m upset about a lot of things,” I corrected him. “The donation is just a part of it. Mostly… mostly I’m upset that you went to work after Charles attacked me. I’m upset that you spent most of the banquet on your phone. And I’m upset because you wouldn’t look at me that night. The fact that you’ve basically bought control of my job is just the straw that
broke my back.”

  Drake sighed and stared out the window for a few silent moments. “When I got back to the banquet table and we all realized you were missing, horrible thoughts flew through my head. I knew in my gut that Charles was behind it. And I knew that whatever happened to you would be all my fault. Thinking I might have lost you was the most scared I’ve ever felt in my life.”

  “Then why didn’t you act differently when you found me?”

  “Because I was ashamed of myself and I expected you to be pissed at me. Charles was only able to get you alone because you went looking for me. I should have been by your side all night.”

  I’d had enough of his talking in circles. “You’re not making any sense, Drake. You say you were terrified when you thought you’d lost me. You say you never should have left my side. But as soon as you found me, you couldn’t get away fast enough.”

  Drake took a deep breath and blew it out loudly. “This is all so complicated, Chelsea. I didn’t want to be on my phone all night. I didn’t want to leave you. But I didn’t have a choice. You know that. And as much as I wish I could say that will change, it won’t… not anytime soon, at least. It’s just the nature of my work.”

  “You could slow down,” I countered. “You could work on one project at a time instead of four. You could take on an apprentice or something, start sharing your knowledge and lightening your workload.”

  “And one day, I will,” he promised. “Keep in mind, Chels, these are all projects that were started before we met. I’m too far in to all of them to slow down now.”

  As if on cue, his cell phone chimed. “Damn it,” he growled, staring down at the screen. “I was afraid of this. I’m so sorry, Chelsea, but I’m going to have to leave for Florence this afternoon.”

  “What? Why?”

  “A group of my investors toured the worksite this morning and they’re not happy with the progress. I have to fly over and smooth things out before they all pull their money.”

  “Investors? Why on earth do you need investors?” I’d always assumed Drake spent his own money on his builds.

  “I don’t. But for tax reasons, among other things, I don’t finance all of my own work. It’s incredibly complicated and boring. But if they walk away from the project, the development’s reputation could take a hit. My name’s on this. I can’t let that happen.”

  “I understand,” I told him with a resigned sigh.

  He took my hand and gave it a gentle squeeze. “Do you, really?” he whispered, his lips hovering just inches from my face. I nodded and our lips brushed against each other. I kissed him softly for a few short seconds and then pulled away again.

  “I understand that you have commitments you need to honor. But I need you to understand that you can’t just throw money at my boss to create a perfect situation for me at the society. You don’t get to demand days off and call me in late like I’m a child that’s missed the school bus. And you certainly don’t get to send me to grad school via the society.”

  “I just wanted to make things easier for you,” he replied softly. “And I knew you’d never let me pay for your school directly. I’m actually a little upset that Pete didn’t keep my name anonymous.”

  I raised an incredulous eyebrow. “Pete didn’t have to tell me anything. The whole arrangement had your name written all over it. And speaking of Pete, he’s under the impression that if I don’t accept the scholarship money, the donation is off the table completely.”

  Drake blushed and stared out the window as the limo crossed over the Hudson. “I’m sorry. I may have been a little heavy handed when I spoke to him. I’ll call him myself and assure him that the society will still receive the full sum. But will you please think about accepting the offer? I’d like to do this for you, baby.”

  Normally when I heard couples call one another baby, my stomach turned. But when the word passed through Drake’s soft lips, my heart melted. I snuggled into his arms and rested my head on his shoulder. I hadn’t told him that I’d been thinking about leaving the society. I decided to hold on to that information just a little bit longer.

  “I’ll think about it,” I agreed. “And while you’re in Italy, I want you to think about this.” I unfastened my seatbelt and crawled into Drake’s lap. He pushed my wild curls over my shoulders, held me by the back of my neck and pulled my face to his.

  “This is all I ever think about, Chelsea,” he confessed, his tone husky and full of lust. He kissed me roughly behind the ear before sliding his tongue down my neck. I arched my back and pushed myself into his erection as his hands explored my body. Finally, our lips met and our tongues danced together in perfect, heart pounding harmony.

  “God, I want you,” Drake moaned just as the limo slowed to a stop. I glanced out the window and then crawled out of his lap once I realized we were outside the society.

  “Don’t go,” he pleaded, wrapping his arms around my waist. I kissed him on the forehead and then wiggled away from him.

  “I have to. I’m already late,” I reminded him with a teasing smile.

  “Exactly. You’re already late. What’s the harm in another half hour? Vince can drive us around and no one will ever be the wiser.” He took me in his arms again and planted another teasing kiss on my neck.

  “I have to get inside,” I insisted again. I wanted Drake as much as he wanted me, but I could resist the chance to leave him wanting more. “Besides,” I continued. “This way you’ll be motivated to get home as fast as possible.”

  “I’ll miss you every second,” Drake told me with an exaggerated pout.

  “I’ll miss you too, baby.”

  ***

  The following Monday, I sat behind my desk and stared blankly at my computer screen. I was supposed to be working on the seating arrangement for the Founder’s Gala. Instead, all I could do was think about Drake. After four days in Italy, he was finally coming home.

  A knock on my door startled my attention back to the present. “Come in.”

  Piper stepped into the room, her body tense and her eyes wandering everywhere but to mine.

  “What is it?” I asked as she nervously crossed the room.

  “So you don’t know yet,” she sighed, talking more to herself than me.

  “Know what, Piper?” I replied as my heart began to race.

  My God, what’s happened? Is it Stacey and the baby? Did something happen to them? Or Drake? Oh God, did his jet disappear?

  “Just tell me, Piper, please,” I anxiously demanded. I clenched the arms of my chair and held my breath, trying to prepare for the worst.

  “It’s Drake,” she began slowly, still unable to meet my eye.

  Dear God, no!

  “He was… photographed with a tall brunette woman several times while he was in Florence. The pictures just hit the web this morning. The society pages are hinting that the city’s most eligible bachelor is off the market.”

  I exhaled a long sigh of relief. “That’s it?” I asked, rolling my eyes. “I’m sure it’s nothing. Drake told me that he was spending most of his time charming the investors. I’m sure that woman was one of them.”

  “I don’t know, Chels… if I were you, I’d look at the pictures before giving Drake the benefit of the doubt,” Piper suggested.

  “Fine, but I’m sure it’s nothing,” I repeated as I flipped open my tablet. I did a quick Google image search with Drake’s name and the date. To my horror, half a dozen images popped up of him and the woman Piper had described.

  “I told you. It looks bad,” she whispered as I stared down at the screen.

  I scanned the photos, quickly realizing that Drake and the brunette were wearing different outfits in each one. They’d spent a lot of time together. In one picture, he was helping her step into a gondola. In another, they were walking into a five star restaurant. The others showed them on various sidewalks of Florence. My heart sank with each image and I had to fight the urge to throw up. Piper crossed the room and put an arm around my shoulder
.

  “I’m sorry I had to tell you, but I didn’t want you to be blindsided. You could still be right, you know. I just wanted you to see this for yourself before Drake tries to explain it away.”

  “Who is she?” I asked, changing the search from image to news.

  “Don’t click on the stories,” Piper insisted, taking the tablet from my hands. “Pictures don’t lie, but reporters do. Especially the kind of reporters who write this shit. Her name is Valintina Bellisi. She’s basically Italy’s version of a Kardashian. That’s the only information I’ve been able to verify.”

  “How long have you known about this?” I asked, reaching for a bottle of water.

  “Stacey called me about ten minutes after we got here this morning. She reads the online papers over breakfast. She told me to tell you that she’s going to have Oliver get to the bottom of it.”

  “Oliver shouldn’t get involved,” I insisted. “He and Stacey are depending on his business relationship with Drake. I don’t want him to ruin that over something personal. Drake will be landing in a few hours. I’ll get to the bottom of this myself.”

  “How often did you hear from him when he was gone? Did you have any idea that he might be up to something?” Piper asked, settling back down in the seat across from me.

  I took a drink of my water and shook my head as I swallowed. “He’s called and text me all day every day since he left. The first two days he was pretty stressed out. He said he was bending over backwards to charm people when all he really wanted to do was tell them to fuck off. Then on Saturday, things finally started to turn around. He’d have been home yesterday morning, but a few of the investors insisted on taking him out on their yacht yesterday.”

  “Did he name any of the investors? From what I read online, Valintina has plenty of money. Maybe everything really is on the up and up,” Piper said halfheartedly.

  “Or maybe my fear that Drake has a woman in every city was valid,” I countered with another sigh. Suddenly, I felt exhausted.

  “When are you supposed to meet up with him?”