If my accusation had thrown him, he didn’t show it. He merely smirked at me, which suggested that I was dealing with someone far more cunning than I’d originally thought.
“You think I’m cheating on Meredith? Is that what this is about?”
“Partly.”
“Sorry, Jennifer. I’ve never cheated on my wife. This little dance of yours is over.”
He started to pull away from me, but I held him close to my body, refusing to let him leave. “Leave me now, and I’ll just stand here and watch you go in bewilderment. People will see my expression, and they’ll talk about it. I’ll call out your name. I’ll look distressed. Do you really want that? Or would you rather know what I plan to do to you? Your choice, Stephen. So, you know, choose. Because I promise you that I will do it.”
He gave me a hard look—and kept dancing.
“You’ve got some nerve,” he said.
“I believe Meredith might soon be saying the same to you.”
“You’ve got no proof.”
But I did. Tank would never deceive me—I knew that every bit of information he’d shared with me today was the truth. And so I tightened my grip around Rowe’s waist, pressed him even tighter against my body, and said in his ear, “Oh, but I do. And do you want to know why I do? It’s because you’re messy.”
“Messy?”
“That’s right—messy.”
“I don’t do messy.”
“How about if we change the subject? How about if we talk about the convenience of cheap hotels?”
He pulled slightly away from me and looked at me, his face only inches from mine.
“Tell me, Stephen, how are those rooms at the Hampton Inn in Times Square that you frequent so often? I believe it’s a two-star, so one can’t expect much from it, other than a vibrating bed and maybe, if you’re lucky, a condom and tampon dispenser. I have to say that location wasn’t a bad choice for you to carry out your torrid little affair. In that neighborhood, you and your lover—I believe her name is Janice Jones—would never be recognized, would you? Your people don’t wander over to those lesser parts of the city—and they certainly wouldn’t be found in some sleaze-bag of a hotel like that particular Hampton Inn. Your no-tell motel already has told this girl plenty.”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about, Jennifer.”
“To use your words, why don’t we just cut the bullshit, Rowe? You’ve been having an affair for nearly two years, ever since dear Janice gave you one hell of a memorable lap dance at an upscale strip joint in the Meatpacking District. I know all about it. And if you don’t listen to me now—really listen to me—I’m prepared to steal away everything in your life that you value. Everything you’ve worked for. Starting with your wife and your children, who deserve to know whom they’re dealing with. And then I’ll go to the press with what you’ve done. This will destroy your own corporation, and also your stature in this community. The scandal will ruin you.”
Again he turned me around, but this time he was rougher with me, and he hurt my arm when he extended me away from him. Then, he intentionally crushed his foot onto mine and twisted it before stepping off of it. I moved through the pain and kept any trace of it from my face.
“You’re such a pussy,” I said. “Is that the best you’ve got?”
“You’ve got nothing on me, bitch.”
“Your face says differently. Suddenly, you’re running hot. Are those beads of sweat I see along your brow? I think they are.”
“Fuck you, lady.”
“Oh please. Save the dirty talk for Janice—she probably likes it. Or maybe you do. Maybe that’s what Meredith can’t give you because of her good manners and white-gloved upbringing. Before this song ends, here’s a better use of your time—be honest. Is that possible for you? You look so angry right now, I’m not sure that it is. But there’s nothing I can do about that, so let me just offer this—I know that you were with Janice today.”
“You don’t know anything.”
“I know that you paid cash for the room, and I know that you were fucking her while your wife was getting ready for tonight’s party. I also know that you’ve set Janice up in a lovely apartment not far from the hotel, but that you don’t go there because slipping into a hotel is safer. Shall I go on? Do you want to know about the photographs I’ve had taken of you entering the hotel alone today? And then the photos I have of Janice entering the hotel just behind you?”
I was bluffing about that, but what did he know?
“There’s more,” I said. “A lot more. I can go on if you want—about the cheap dinners you share with poor, dear Janice at Molly’s Diner in the Village while your wife thinks you’re at work for instance—but our time here is running out, so we better settle terms fast. If we don’t, you’ll walk away knowing that I will expose you before you even know what’s hit you. Your other choice is to do what I tell you to do. Your choice—but you better choose now. The next song is coming fast—and Meredith is right here in this room. Just close enough for me to have a word with her.”
“If what you say is true—which it isn’t—what do you want from me?”
“Simple. You lay off my husband. You cease from pressuring the board against him, and you stop jockeying for his job. Wenn will never be yours, so keep away from the board. Stop trying to persuade them to get rid of Alex. If you don’t stop, I’ll find out about it—and when I do, the shit will hit the fan. I will go there. I will crush you, Stephen. I will tell Meredith and the press everything, and I’ll provide photographic proof. And one other thing. You’ve got three months to resign from the board. Is that understood? You’ll resign for personal reasons, step down, and get the hell out of Alex’s life for good. In return, I won’t say a word about your infidelities and you can keep your goddamned sham of a life. I really don’t care what you do in your personal life. But when your life affects my husband’s? You need to know that I will go to any length to protect that man. That’s what real love is. If you doubt any of it, just try me, motherfucker. Alex means everything to me. Are we clear on that?”
“I’m sick of Wenn. I’d be happy to resign from the board because your husband is ruining everything. But why the three months?”
“Because I want to keep my eye on you—and I don’t want anything to look rushed. Do we have a deal, or not?”
“Fine. Let Wenn run itself into the ground. Fuck it. It’s Alex and you who will lose in the end, anyway.”
“No, we won’t. But now, so long as you keep in line, we won’t have to worry about you.” The song ended, and Rowe immediately broke away from me. “Get yourself together,” I said while the guests applauded the orchestra. “Put a smile on your face. We’re going back to Alex, Jonathan, and Tom—and you’re going to act as if nothing has happened. When the time comes and they ask you why you’ve backed off Alex, just tell them that you've reconsidered your position. Don’t go into any details. Just say you’ve thought twice about all of it, and do your time until you resign. Understand?”
“You’re a piece of work, lady.”
“You should see me when I don’t get what I want.”
“Go fuck yourself.”
“Why would I when I have a husband who makes me happy in ways that poor Meredith fails you?”
I hooked my arm in his again, and I could feel him bristle against my touch. We started to leave the floor. “Really, Stephen—fucking some stripper named Janice Jones at a Hampton Inn in Times Square?” I said. “Imagine how the press would run with that. Hell, imagine what your own wife would do with that, not to mention the rest of your set….”
CHAPTER TWELVE
We returned to Alex, Jonathan, and Tom, and then Alex and I wished the three board members a good evening and moved back into the crowd.
We passed a young couple Alex knew well. We were about to stop to say hello when they gave us the barest hint of a smile, and kept moving. Was it because of the fact that Wenn appeared to be in trouble, and had received its share
of negative press over the past two days? Of course it was. And the idea that they’d snub Alex for it left me furious on his behalf.
“I shouldn’t say this, but I really dislike some of these people,” I said.
He reached for my hand, and held it in his own. “Don’t let it bother you—I’ve been here before, and I’ll be here again. My skin is thick. I know who my real friends are, Jennifer. Tank is one of them, and you happen to be my best friend. But those two? They aren’t among them.”
“Did you ditch my martini?”
“Watching you out there with Rowe was enough to make me finish it myself. What did you say to him?”
“Let’s step over here so we’re away from everyone, and I’ll tell you.”
We moved into the private alcove that housed Dufort’s personal elevator.
“I threatened him,” I said.
“With what?”
“He’s cheating on his wife.”
Even though we were partly concealed by the crowd, Alex knew better than to look at me in surprise. Instead, he kept his features neutral and his voice low when he spoke. “How do you know that?”
“This afternoon, I asked Tank to do some digging for me. Turns out he’s good friends with Rowe’s chief of security. Tank got him to talk, and that discussion was relayed to me. Here isn’t the place to go into the details—I’ll share them with you later, when we get home. All you need to know now is that I told Rowe that I’d expose him if he didn’t do two things.”
“Which are?”
“First, stop pressuring the board against you. That’s to end at once. Second, he’s to resign from the board in three months.”
“Why three months?”
“Because I don’t trust him. You’re going to watch him and see how he behaves. If he keeps harassing you, tell me, and we’ll discuss our options and decide together how best to go forward with my threat.”
“Does Tank have anything concrete against him?”
“You mean physical evidence?”
“I do.”
“He doesn’t. But I have the name of his mistress, I know that Rowe bought her an apartment, and I know which hotel they shack up in for their little trysts. Like the one they had today, while Rowe’s wife was getting ready for the party.” I looked at him. “And how do you think she’d respond to that?”
“I’m not sure. Initially, people like Meredith would go out of their way to keep something like that quiet. If she could help it, she would never invite shame onto the family name—she’d be crucified for that—and she wouldn’t allow herself to be publicly humiliated. And then there are their two children to consider, whom I know she loves. So, it gets complicated. Would she get rid of him? At first, I’m not so sure that she would. Would she make his life a living hell behind closed doors because of what he’s done? Absolutely. I know Meredith. You don’t cross her. But what you need to know about society, Jennifer, is that something like this would be kept under wraps. Divorce isn’t out of the question, but it would be the very last resort in an effort to keep up appearances. Appearances are everything in her set. Rowe knows that. He knows that, while she might throw him out of her bedroom, it’s unlikely that she’d throw him out of their house. That said, he also knows that if he didn’t fall in line and ditch his mistress for good, divorce might be the only option for Meredith because she’d want to act before any rumors started. It would be a PR move on her part. She’d want to distance herself from him. She’d want to look betrayed and behave like the victim she is. That way, she’d collect the sympathy she deserves. That’s when a divorce would be acceptable in this set. If he brought her to that point, she could destroy him.”
“How?”
“Financially. Politically. Socially.”
I knew from my research that Rowe was the former CEO of IndoTech Industries, a biotech firm with many popular drugs and patents. He’d been brought on to Wenn’s board because it was acknowledged that, with his experience, he could assist in moving Wenn Pharmaceutical forward.
“I did a search earlier, but couldn’t find any answers. Even though he isn’t CEO, is Rowe still invested in IndoTech?”
“That’s the thing—Rowe owns none of it. It’s Meredith and her family who own the corporation. Rowe was just the CEO, but that ended after six years. He’s still on the board, but she can have the board fire him whenever she wants. Since he knows that, I think we’ve got him there as well. That position is powerful—he’s not going to want to give it up. My feeling is that he'll back off and take your offer because he knows that if Meredith ever did find out about his affair, she’d have him investigated on her own. Eventually, she’d learn what you’ve already learned. That’s when things would become interesting. That’s when shit would get real for Rowe in all the wrong ways. So, thank you,” he said. “I think you might have stopped the beast.”
“We’ll see. I still don’t trust him.”
“Neither do I, but he’s no fool. He’ll cool off. And he’ll know that you and I have talked. In fact, he likely thinks that we already talked before we approached them. So that should make things nicely awkward between us going forward.” He kissed me on the lips. “Thank you, Jennifer. Thank you for always having my back.”
“You can have my back later, if you want it,” I said.
He discreetly reached around and grabbed my ass. “Like I don’t.”
“Mr. Wenn!”
“I might even bend you over my knee and slap that ass of yours.”
“But I’m in your employ!”
“And you’ve been doing a fine job lately, Mrs. Wenn, so don’t be surprised if I give you a substantial bonus.”
“You’re always so generous, Mr. Wenn. I’ve seen your bonuses. And they are indeed substantial.”
“You’re killing me.”
“And now I’m totally horny. How much longer do we need to stay here?”
“We need to say hello to Henri.”
“Agreed. Then we’re gonzo.” I winked at him. “And then I’m yours to rough up.”
“What is it with you lately?”
“I’m just drunk on love—and I’m especially delighted about my little smack down. I think I might have just had a major victory on that dance floor. And besides, I’ve been unreasonably horny lately.”
“Then we’ll attend to that.”
“Goodness.”
“Look,” Alex said. “There’s Henri now. See him. He’s just over there, talking with a few people. It looks like Countess Castellani and her blind husband, Count Luftwick, are among them. You met them a few months ago. I think the count really took to you.”
“Of course I remember them—I kind of loved him. He actually treated me like a person. And apparently, he’ll say just about anything, which I’m pretty sure you know I dig. But Castellani—she didn’t like me at all. Once again, it was because I’m not in the book. I’m not one of them. She’s another Tootie. She was horrible to me when we first met. Talk about condescending.”
“I remember. Who else is there? I can’t make out their faces.”
“Three vipers, all of whom have dismissed me ever since we were first engaged. Just like the countess, they’ve made it very clear that I’m not worthy of you, and that I have no business being with you. They’re a bunch of snobs.”
“Who are they?”
“Kitty Flem Dixie, the tobacco heiress; Lorvenia Billiups, the department store heiress; and Frieda Zulrika Teeple, the diamond heiress whose life looks a lot like coal right now.”
“What do you mean?”
“She had an affair last month with three black workers from one of her South African diamond mines. It caused a worldwide scandal. Apparently, the affair, or orgy as it were, took place in one of the mines while Frieda Zulrika Teeple’s workers cheered them on. Given that, I have to say that I’m surprised to see her here.”
“I didn’t know that you had an issue with the other three. What else have they said to you?”
“Too much t
o go into. They were dismissive and cruel, but in a sly way. Isn’t that how it works around here? Look, Alex, I also have thick skin, and I’m always up for taking on people like them.” I widened my eyes at him. “So, with that in mind, let’s go over and say hello.”
“You’re up to no good again. Let’s wait.”
I grabbed his hand. “Every time I’ve encountered any of them, with the exception of the count, they’ve treated me like I was shot out of the third world—and into theirs, with no invitation, other than a way out. When we were married, they were quoted in interviews, happily vilifying me as not quiet Wenn material. Do you remember that? No? Well, I do. Much of what they said wasn’t even true.”
“Why didn’t I know this?”
“Because I protected you from it.” I looked at them all. “I always knew that karma would run them over. I just didn’t know that one day I’d be driving the bus.”
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
We started to cut through the crowds toward the group. When Alex saw Frieda Zulrika Teeple, he squeezed my hand.
“Isn’t that the woman—”
“That’s her.”
“The one who had the orgy?”
“That’s right. That’s her.”
“I remember hearing about that now. That was just a month or so ago.”
“Like I said. And isn’t it great? She’s either brave or deluded to be seen so soon. We’ll find out.”
As we approached them, we found Countess Castellani in full rant.
“None of you can imagine the trouble we’re having in San Miguel de Allende. The house still isn’t finished—and it’s been thirty-seven months! As young as I am, I’ll be dead before we move into it. Yes, I know, shame on me—it’s a seventy-two-room castle overlooking the city, with sharp, specific views of the Parroquía. But when will it end? Those damned Mexicans are robbing us blind. First they tell me it will be another six months, which turns into another twelve months. And then another eighteen months.”
“But from what you’ve told me, you keep adding rooms,” Henri said.
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