by Amelia Rose
Elle pulled a small card out of her purse and handed it to Julien. He read it and raised an eyebrow. “Well, that’s cryptic.”
She nodded. She had read the card hundreds of times this morning looking for some clue, but it only said, “Be ready, and remember.”
“That’s actually kind of fun though. I think I’m going to send something like that to Aiden, and let him suffer in anticipation of my arrival.”
Elle knew better. Julien and Aiden had a great relationship, and had been together for a number of years. Their relationship was the kind that she aspired to have someday. Great communication and an unbreakable bond. Aiden was more likely to daydream about Julien’s arrival than suffer.
He handed the card back to her, and picked up the bill, slipping his credit card into the slim leather case that held it. The server picked it up, then returned with his card and the signature slip. Julien signed and left a healthy tip. Working in the service industry for years had left both of them with a strong need to leave large tips. They both knew how disheartening it was to work hard and be stiffed.
They walked down one of the back hallways, taking a path that would let them skirt around the casino floor on the way back to their offices. The hallway led through the rooms used for conferences, and a large crowd was spilling from one. She had no idea what the conference had been for, but most of the attendees were wearing silly hats.
They dodged around the crowds, weaving their way through the hall when one of the other conference rooms opened up. She stood in shock as Anders walked out, followed by Ryan. The two men had a brief conversation and then shook hands. They hadn’t seen her, and she dodged into the crowd, avoiding their notice.
Julien watched everything with his usual calm, then gathered up Elle after Anders and Ryan had left through the opposite hallway. They finished the rest of the trip to her office in silence, until she was safely behind a closed door.
Elle picked up a vase full of irises and threw it across the room. Julien winced and waited for her to calm down enough to speak. She paced, weaving her way through the various flowers that left very little floor space and kicked several over as she went.
“He knew about Ryan. He told me that he had asked Finn to check into my background before our dinner. He knew!” Elle fumed, trying to figure out what the two men had been doing together.
Julien pulled her into his arms. “I’m sure it was nothing, Elle. Anders is a businessman. I’m sure it was business related.”
“With Ryan? Nevacore is worth next to nothing still. There is no reason Anders would be interested in Ryan or that crappy corporation. No, something else is up and I want no part of any of it. Get these flowers out of here before I burn my office down.” She walked out of her office and slammed the door, leaving Julien alone.
She lay in the bed of her suite, looking at the card that had come with the first bouquet. She wasn’t so sure now that it had meant what she originally thought. Could it be a message from Ryan, telling her to be ready to have her hopes shattered? There was no need to tell her to remember. What he had done to her was something she would never forget.
Elle sighed, wishing she had never given Anders the chance to get inside her head. She had been so stupid, letting him know her fantasy and believing that he had really wanted her. No wonder they had gone to the strip club. He must have needed the extra visual stimulation to be able to make it through a night with her.
She turned off the light, and tried to sleep, ignoring the knocks that kept rapping at her door.
*****
End Part 1. Look for Part 2, coming January 2013.
