Beyond the Masks (Beyond Love Series Book 1)
Page 25
“Who was that?”
A line formed between his wide lips. His eyes creased with worry. Hesitation thick around them. She grabbed her middle to ward off the spinning gut, waiting for his answer. “It was Blair.”
Her heart fell to her stomach to be met by boiling heat. “What? You’re going to see her?”
“Can you sit?” He touched her arm, and she flinched.
“Why the fuck are you going to see her?”
“I’ll explain if you sit.”
“No. You better ’fess up before…before…” She curled her hands, fingernails cutting half-moons into her palms.
“The video, Shane. She has it.”
“W-what…our video?! The one you promised would be safe?”
He caught her as dizziness set in, leading her to the office chair. He knelt, eyes bloodshot and filled with worry. “Yes. And I’m going to get it back. I promise.”
“Is this some sick game? How did she…?”
“I fucked up. I was careless, and I’m sorry.”
She slapped him, and his neck twisted. A defined red mark blushed along his cheek.
He swallowed and paused. “I need you to listen. I love you, and I will protect you. She stole it from my office at The Resort. She’s asking for thirty days and—”
“Thirty days? For what?” His brows knotted, and his mouth opened. “You’re fucking kidding me.” She pushed up and spanned the room, shaking in anger. “You’re not seriously considering this.”
“I have no choice. I’m doing this for you. I can’t let this get out. It’ll ruin you.”
Trembling hands met her face. Hot tears fell from her eyes. He was serious. “It’s that easy, huh? What kind of power does she have over you? And you promised this video would be safe.”
He gripped her shoulders. “I know. Shane, you know I’m fucked up. I ju—”
“Don’t touch me.” His hands went up in surrender, and all she could see was red. The color of war and personal protection surrounding her heart. A fever poured over her like lava, burning away the façade she’d been living in. He stood there, a worn version of the strong man she thought he was. Everything was clear for the first time.
“Fucked up doesn’t even begin to explain it. That video was supposed to be private. You swore it would be. And I denied my gut because I wanted to trust you. I gave that to you.” He flinched, but she held her ground. She straightened to a height of power she’d lost a few months ago. Strength backed her voice as she said, “That recording better be in my hands today. Do you understand? Today. And this…”—she stepped forward—“…is fucking over.”
25
Gavin impatiently tapped his fingers on the bar as he looked at his watch. 5:37. She was late.
Seeing Shane’s face today, the hurt he’d caused, shattered him. She deserved better, and he was a fucking coward. Now he’d never have her. But at least he could still save her.
A spicy vanilla scent wafted through the air. A seductive scent used to draw in men and suffocate them with her power. Blair.
“Gavin,” she whispered in his ear.
He closed his eyes to keep his stomach from tossing his lunch. “Blair.”
She removed her coat and hung it on the back of the stool.
“Don’t look so happy to see me. I’ll have a red wine, please,” she ordered from the bartender.
“Let’s get to it.”
“Always so brooding. Do you ever smile?” The bartender set her wine down and she sipped the blood colored liquid.
For him to win her over, he needed to seduce her. Make her feel charmed and light on her feet. He did a once-over, seeing her in a low cut, see-through top and mini skirt. His insides crawled. He could do this. “It’s over. With Shane.”
She leaned back on her stool, and her red painted fingernails tapped lightly on her crossed arms.
“What is it about her?”
“There’s nothing about her. She’s temporary. Was temporary.” He cringed.
“I was temporary. You’ve been spotted all around town with her. Seems a little more than a short-lived fuck.”
“We work together. Of course, we’d be seen together.”
“Perhaps. But the way you demanded to have the evidence back was a different kind of fire than your normal animalistic vibe I’ve seen. You love her.”
Love. Her use of the word belittled its meaning. Her tone crawled all over him like an allergic reaction.
“We can’t have that, now can we?”
“Get to your point, Blair.”
“So, you say it’s over…” She reached out, and he took her wrists.
“I’m sorry for what happened.”
She scoffed. “Since when did apologies become part of your repertoire?”
“Since Shane.”
Her upper lip curled. “I thought you said it was done.”
In reality it was, but in his heart, he couldn’t let go. “Is this what you want? A man who loves someone else? Thirty days will only draw out the inevitable.” Her green eyes flicked over him, and a moment of softness crossed over them. “I understand what I did was wrong. Even if we had an agreement, I didn’t consider how your limits might have changed.”
“Stop.” She closed her eyes.
“I’m telling you I’m sorry.”
An actual tear slipped out of one eye. He was shocked to see she was capable of one.
“Where’s the video? Let’s walk away from this unscathed and move on. You’re an attractive woman. There are plenty of men who will treat you better than I will.”
She grabbed his face. Muscles tensed throughout his body. She looked as though she would agree.
“Just one…”
“One wh–?”
She moved in and placed her lips on his. He remained stock still as his stomach turned. He pushed her shoulders.
“It’s over...”
The calmness in Blair sent tingles down his spine as she rose quietly from the stool, flung her coat over her arm and snatched the phone from her clutch. “You want the video back?”
A sigh of relief pushed out of his nose. “Yes. Thank you.”
She sighed with an oomph sound. “I get it, Gavin. I’m like you, only female.”
“What?”
“You were right. Thirty days would’ve never worked.” She tapped the screen then tossed the device in her purse.
“You’ll see; it’s better this way.”
Her venomous smile returned. “We are so much alike. The way we still fight even when things don’t go our way. You’re right; it feels better already.”
His phone dinged, and he viewed the incoming text. It was from her. “What did you do?”
“Cut my losses. Have a nice life.” She blew him a kiss on her way out.
He opened the message and clicked the link. A webpage opened, and the video of Shane and him at The Resort played.
The screen of Jacob’s phone lit up when he checked his notifications. No answer from Shane. Three messages and several hours later, he’d zoned in and out of the meeting. Rex Peyton, a global super star, having achieved number one chart status twenty-one times, was about to sign his entire catalog and future albums to AMG.
“What’s the contingency plan if Rex doesn’t sign?”
Jacob blinked. The chairman of the board and several other AMG executives stared from their conference chairs.
“He’ll sign,” Jacob said.
“Not what I asked,” the chairman went on. “What is plan B? I’ll remind you, this deal is in your annual forecast and will either keep us ahead or Omega will pass us.”
The name of Shane’s company stung. Maybe her company should pass us for a change. Well, that thought had never crossed his mind before.
He cleared his throat. “He will sign.”
“So, no contingency?” one of the executives asked. Gray-haired and balding with a wiry comb-over, the man was so old he could have started AMG.
“No,” Jacob said.
Jacob scanned the room as the chairman conducted the remaining business. The smell of leather chairs and stale coffee used to push him to a non-existent finish line. All this success meant nothing if personal relationships failed. He couldn’t live this lie anymore. Not after violating Shane’s trust in him. A lie she had no idea about.
He stood and walked out of the meeting. The conversation died before he could get to the glass doors.
“Mr. Andrews,” the chairman called.
Jacob didn’t halt. He pushed through the doors on his way to a fresh start.
Jacob’s Aston Martin squealed to a halt in front of Shane’s sky-rise. Shane spun out of the revolving doors, body wrapped in a red cape, and light brown waves blowing in the breeze from under a white knitted cap.
He hopped out the car. “Shane!”
She looked up from her phone, saw him, and then walked in the opposite direction.
“Shane, wait.” He sprinted forward.
“We have nothing to say.” The heels of her shoes stopped clicking, and she turned to him. “Don’t you get it?”
That stung. “There are things you need to know before you move on this.”
Her hand went to her hip. “Move on this? Please leave me alone.” She turned, and his hand touched her shoulder.
“Hear me out, please.” He held his breath as her lips rubbed together.
“Fine. But this is the last time.”
Her heels clicked next to him as they walked to the car. Once inside, he turned to her as his heart raced. Her blue eyes held irritation as her arms crossed.
“I’ll make this quick.” He gripped the steering wheel. “I get you are with Gavin. I fucking hate it, but I understand why you didn’t choose me.”
“You do?”
“I’m a fucking ego-chasing businessman, Shane. Made my life the priority instead of you. It finally sank in why I lost you. I get it. You should have been first and the thought of me being without you fucking kills me. But I can’t let you be with a man choosing to hide behind his deceit.”
“Who? Gavin?” She tensed.
“And me…” His fingers ran through his hair as his throat dried. His hands became damp, and even with the winter chill seeping through the car, the windows fogged from the heat of his body.
“What are you talking about?” She blinked.
“I’m telling you this because I want you to make the right choice even when this will sever us forever. I will lose you, but I won’t lose you to another man piling rocks over his bed of lies.”
“It’s over, Jacob.”
“I know—”
“With Gavin. You got your wish.”
He rubbed his face. The air in his lungs squeezed to escape, yet halted at her statement. “I don’t understand. You left him?”
She shrugged and narrowed her eyes. “Doesn’t matter. Tell me what you did.”
The stubborn breath finally left his lungs. He’d come back to Gavin in a minute. This was about telling Shane the truth. His heart lurched to his throat. No turning back.
“I purchased Icarus Descending from Omega Records.” He swallowed.
“Purchased?” she repeated evenly. “As in paid off Omega to bow out of the signing? Why the hell would you do that?”
“I became obsessed with winning them. We were so close, until your label stepped in. I found myself channeling my fucking anger and went for the jugular.”
Her brows rose. “For a fucking band? For your bottom line?”
“Yes.” Tears glistened Shane’s eyes as her chin jutted out. She was trying to be strong. “I still blamed you for us being apart when, deep down, it was me. The whole time. My fucking pride ruined us.”
She swiped the falling tears with a gloved hand. Her face fell with her heart. “And what does Gavin have to do with this?” she whispered.
“He’s the one I paid off.”
A long breath escaped from Shane’s mouth, fogging the windows. “Wow. I know how to pick ’em.”
Jacob’s phone dinged, and he fished it out of his pocket. Rapid texts from colleagues barraged through, the sounds filling the small space. He muted it and tucked it away. It could wait.
“Don’t blame yourself. You are wonderf—”
Springing forward, she unloaded. “Don’t tell me how wonderful I am. If you believed your words, our business relationship would have had boundaries like our fucking relationship did. Don’t you see, Jacob? Boundaries are made to protect people. And it’s apparent I gave you none. I trusted you. Even when we weren’t together, I trusted you. Thought you were an upstanding man who would never do anything to hurt me even though we were apart.”
Every word hit like a hammer to his chest. The warranted verbal attack shredded his armor, piece by piece, leaving him vulnerable to feel her words cut.
Her phone rang, and she dug it from her clutch. She silenced the incessant ringing. “I have to go.”
His breast pocket vibrated, and he fished the phone out again. Ten missed calls. He flicked the text string, stopping on one. The blood drained from his face. The door clicked open, and he grabbed her arm. “Shane, wait.”
She shrugged out of his grasp. “Get off. I have business to take care of. Ethical business. And stay the hell out of my life.” Her heel hit the pavement, and the door slammed in his face. He clicked the link inside the text from his assistant, Liza. An internet site opened, and what he saw lit the fire in his heart. That son of a bitch!
He leapt from the car and hollered, “Shane, stop!” She was on her phone and halted a few yards away.
Jogging to her, he heard, “What, David? Slow down…the video is what…?” The phone crashed to the ground, and Jacob caught her.
“Shane!”
Each blink created a fine sand paper scrape over Shane’s dry eyes. She stared blankly at the ignored texts and voicemails from Gavin.
G: Shane, call me, please.
G: I am so sorry.
G: This wasn’t supposed to happen. Please answer my calls.
Her hand swirled the clear liquid inside a rocks glass. Over, over, over. It was all over. Her work, her heart, her reputation. And for what? One night in a club, getting off with a traitor? One goddammed decade of trusting a lying asshole? A lifetime of hard work? Over.
The warm liquid drowned her spinning thoughts. Mumbles from the kitchen struck like a knife in her heart. Why was Jacob here? David came from around the corner and sat.
“How you holding up, doll?” She raised her glass. He filled it. “Yeah. Stupid question.”
She slouched against him. “I’m so sorry, David.”
“There is nothing to be sorry about.”
“You told me to be careful. And now…if I had listened.” Tears formed in her eyes. A blurry image of Jacob appeared in front of her. Exhaustion replaced by burning rage thrummed in her veins. “Get. Out.” The grunt came out so vicious Shane swore she would spit venom.
“I can’t,” he said.
“What’s going on?” David asked.
“You don’t belong here, Jacob. Fucking leave.” She shoved the glass against David’s chest and stood.
“I won’t.”
Stubborn fucking mule. When she needed him, he was gone. Now she wanted him gone, and he stayed. Time to draw the boundaries. Shane never understood what people meant by seeing red. Now she did. A spark of heat spread from chest to fingers. A jolt of energy at the sound of his support so furious, she lunged forward. Arms swinging, she made contact with his chest. He shuffled back.
“Get out! Get the fuck out!”
“Shane!” David yelled.
“No, let her,” Jacob responded, pushing forward to close the gap. “Hit me, please. I deserve it.”
Her hand flew across her body and landed on his cheek, the force of the blow resonating from her hand all the way to her shoulder. The crack of the contact was drowned in the sound of her voice.
“Shut up! Get out! I can’t…I fucking can’t…You did this. You made this happen!” Her voice became hoarse on her last words and Jacob gripped her wrists and turned her body, hugging her close. She strained and wailed loudly as her sobs overtook her panicked breaths. Heart hammering thuds against her chest pained her. “Stop… let…go…” She fought as Jacob squeezed harder. She tried to kick behind her, and he lifted her off the ground.
“Stop, Shane. Stop…I’m so sorry.” Her boneless knees gave out, and she crumbled to the floor.
“Jacob…” David said, kneeling next to her.
“Can you give us a minute?”
“But...”
“Please.” Jacob must have made a face because David nodded and left.
Shane fought to release her wrists, but his hands gripped harder. “Leave…me…alone...”
“I’m not leaving you.”
“I don’t want your help. Why are you here?” She shuddered in his arms.
“I won’t walk away this time. You had no support when your father died. And I refuse to let you deal with this alone. I left you once; I’m not doing it again.”
“Helping won’t make me forgive you. You did this, all of it. Had the deal never occurred, I would have never pursued Gavin to get information and maybe...”
His chest expanded and fell. His cheek pressed against the wetness of hers. Her heart shattered as if the world crumbled around them on the floor. “And if I hadn’t left you all those years ago, the video wouldn’t have been made. Maybe you would still have an unbroken heart. I would go back and change it all. Every last bit.” He squeezed and rocked her exhausted body for long moments. “I’m not looking for anything in return. Let me handle everything for right now, okay?”
Too exhausted to argue, she sank into his hold, sleep taking her under. But it wasn’t relief at his help that she felt as she closed her eyes. It was the bottom of an abyss with no way out.