by A Lexy Beck
“You’re a lucky man, Cain.” I couldn’t tell if Brice was being sincere, jealous, or just polite. Whatever the feeling, it was quickly cut off by an approaching admirer of Brice.
“Mr. Pennington, you probably don’t remember me—I’m Janelle Freiberg’s son, Neville.” Brice shook his hand and let him continue. “Mr. Pennington…if I can cut to the chase here, I’m working for The Times, running a series on prominent families in the area. I wanted to feature you and your family, maybe talk a little about why you decided not to go into the family gemstone business?”
Brice gave a casual smile and panned the foyer as if planning an escape. “Neville, I’ll tell you what, why don’t you call my assistant on Monday. See if she can fit you into my schedule, but I can’t make any promises.” Brice extended his hand to the young wannabe reporter and turned back to us. “How do these reporters make it into these things?”
Cain and I smiled and shrugged. Neither of us knew what to say at the awkwardness of the question or situation. It did make me wonder if there was story behind his decision. I decided I might dig for details some other time.
“Cain, there you are, I’ve been looking all over for you.” Ashley’s familiar voice sent shivers up my spine as I heard her approach from the back of the group.
Cain turned to greet her, but I refused as Brice’s mouth dropped open as he whispered to me, “Did you two plan this?”
“Plan what?” I followed Brice’s gaze and spun to see Ashley, wearing the exact same dress.
“Are you fucking kidding me!?” I whispered ferociously. Cain tried to intercede but that just made me angrier.
“Oh my, I see we have the same great taste in clothes.” Ashley giggled. “Or maybe you saw my picture online.”
“You bitch, you planned this.” I stifled my frustration and tried not to make a scene. I quickly realized that was exactly how Ashley knew what I was wearing: Aimee had posted my photo online.
“Wow, you both look gorgeous. Cain, can I take one of these gorgeous ladies off of your hands?” Brice quickly stepped between Ashley and I and extended his hand to her. “I’m Brice Pennington.”
Ashley quickly fell silent as she turned her gaze from Cain’s fierce expression to Brice’s huge smile and grasped his hand. “Ashley Murant, it’s nice to meet you.”
“Let’s get a drink before everything gets started, shall we?” Brice pulled Ashley away, shooting a quick smile at Cain and a wink towards me.
“Cain, she’s out of control. You need to do something about her.”
“Jen, it could have been an honest coincidence.” I could tell Cain was being diplomatic, but it bothered me how he always came to her defense, even without trying.
“Doubtful, Cain.” The redness finally subsided from my face as I practically snatched a glass of champagne from a passing server.
“Jen, I do need to catch up with Ashley, just briefly. I’m sorry, I’ll be right back.” Cain kissed me gently and exited into the crowd.
I stood and made idle chit-chat with some of the others in the room until I saw Brice coming through the crowd, headed in my direction.
“Cain needed to talk business with Ashley, so I excused myself for a few minutes.”
“Thank you, Brice. I appreciate you stepping in and diffusing the situation. I was about to lose it, which is unlike me.”
“I understand. I have sisters and I had a girlfriend for a long-time. I know what they were like shopping for dresses. If something like that ever happened to them, I bet they would have gone off as well.” For a moment Brice showed a compassionate side and I couldn’t help but smile shyly.
“Well, I have to say I’m surprised.”
“That I stepped in?”
“No, that you had a girlfriend. You seem like…”
“A jerk?” Brice chuckled.
“Well, I was going to say a player, but jerk fits as well.”
“I’m really not that bad. I put on a good show, but I really am a nice guy once you get to know me.”
“My advice, Brice, is to drop the act. You’ll probably get much further with women.”
Brice gently touched my arm. “I appreciate your honesty. Most people, I mean most women, don’t tend to speak that way to me. They mostly just go with whatever I’m putting out there.”
“Trust me, Brice, it’s not because of your personality.”
“Oh, so you like what you see?” Brice jabbed sarcastically. “I’m kidding. And there’s my cue to leave.” Brice nodded in the direction of Cain, who was returning with Ashley in tow. “I’ll keep her away from you both tonight as best as I can.” Brice passed Cain, smiled and extended his arm to Ashley, leading her off toward the bar.
“What was that about?” A slightly jealous look covered Cain’s face.
“Nothing.” For a moment I had actually seen another side of Brice and realized he might not be as big a jerk as he appeared.
The clinking of glasses ushered quietness over the socializing crowd. At the top of the stairs stood Adone Bellzini, dressed in an expensive looking Italian made suit. He stood out from the rest of the crowd wearing tuxedos and black suits, the normal benefit attire. A man of nearly sixty, Adone was fit and looked much younger. His olive skin was flawless and he was quite attractive for a man of his age. Surprising, considering his lavish lifestyle and penchant for drinking. His salt and pepper hair was slicked back and styled perfectly. It was no wonder he always had a group of attractive younger women by his side.
“Ladies and gentlemen, Thank you so much for coming this evening and celebrating life and this amazing opportunity…and also thank you for bringing your cash and checkbooks.” Adone’s joke was met with laughter as he continued. “Tonight, I welcome you all into my home in the hope of raising money for a very worthy cause, adoption. As an adopted child, I know the importance of giving back and I hope to convince all of you of the same. I have selected some of my prized artwork and possessions from my collection over the years and will be placing those up for auction this evening. Everything will be going to the charity. And if there nothing you want, then please, feel free to write a check for this worthy cause anyway. I will be matching every donation, dollar for dollar.” Applause broke out from the crowd and echoed throughout the large room. “Cheers to everyone, and good luck in your bidding!” Adone raised his glass and the room joined in.
Cain leaned in, kissed me on the cheek, and whispered in my ear. “Are you ready to get out of here?”
“But aren’t you…”
“I’ve already made my rounds, talked to everyone and left Adone a nice check for his charity. My work’s done. Let’s go and enjoy the evening.”
“Okay.” I smiled and we left without a word to anyone.
The car door shut and Cain had already raised the privacy glass. His lips touched my neck softly and he pulled me close. “I told the driver to take the long, scenic route.” Cain smiled as I slid out of my shoes and kissed him back.
We tore at each other like wildcats, stripping each other of our clothes. He freed me from my panties and I removed his tie, shirt and pants. For the next twenty minutes we engaged in a mad frenzy of sex, only stopping to quickly dress and climb the stairs to Cain’s palatial home. That was just the beginning of our night of passion.
Chapter Fourteen
The evening had ended too quickly and the new sunrise reflected off the river, casting a beautiful orange glow into Cain’s large master suite. I didn’t want to leave but I had so much to get done before next week. The last thing I wanted to think about was work, but I had new responsibilities. I kissed Cain and slipped out to the waiting cab. I always worried what Cain’s neighbors, or the cab driver, might think, seeing the cab pull up in the early morning hours. I tried to block it out; I knew the truth and this wasn’t a walk of shame.
After a quick stop at my apartment for a change of clothes, I headed into the office to do a little decorating and to maybe catch up on some work. The ride up in the elevator in the
early morning weekend hours was always eerie. The eleventh floor was dark, except for the faint glow behind our new logo that hung prominently in place on the wall. I swiped my security badge and entered the office, which still smelled of new furniture, paint and carpeting. I loved the new smell and wished it would last forever. It made me think of new beginnings.
I flipped on the harsh florescent lights throughout the hallways and made my way to my new corner office. My grand desk was still covered in files thanks to my early exit on Friday morning and I picked up the last file I had been working on. Decorate first, work later, Jen. I dropped the file and decided to grab a coffee before tackling the conference rooms and then my office.
Decorating was fun but I didn’t have an eye for it. Thankfully, Aimee had given me plenty of ideas and I just needed to follow her instructions. I spent most of the morning hanging pictures and unpacking boxes. I knew I should have let the interns handle the little stuff, but I despised having a messy office. It took everything I had to work in the office I had shared with Reese over the last few months.
I finally made it back into my office three cups of coffee later. I could feel the caffeine high kicking in and decided to allow myself a distraction from unpacking and checked some email.
“Jen, you’re becoming your father,” I mumbled to myself as I jiggled the mouse and awakened my laptop from sleep mode. Six new messages sat in my inbox. The most recent was from Brice, sent early this morning. “Apparently Brice is a workaholic too.” I shook my head.
Jennifer – I didn’t have your personal contact details but need to share some things with you – business and personal. Please call anytime you can. It’s important. - Brice.
I wondered what could be so important that Brice would want me to call him on the weekend. I was especially worried about the personal comment. I grabbed my phone and debated whether to call the number he left in the email. My hesitation abated and I dialed the number.
“This is Brice…”
“It’s Jennifer. I just got your email. Is now a good time?” Part of me hoped it wasn’t.
“Are you alone? I mean is Cain around?” Brice’s voice displayed a hint of anxiety, otherwise I would have thought he was going to make this call all too personal.
“No, I’m alone. What’s going on Brice?”
“Ok, business or personal first?”
“Listen Brice, I really don’t think getting personal is the best—”
“Jennifer, this isn’t about me, us, or anything like that.”
“There is no us, Brice.” I didn’t like where this conversation sounded like it was heading.
“I spent the evening with Ashley.”
I quickly cut him off. “Is this about you and Ashley? Are you calling to tell me you slept with her? Seriously, Brice?”
“God, no! She’s a nut job! I think she’s out to get you, Jennifer. Last night she went on and on about Cain, like she had him on some sort of pedestal. She’s head over heels in love with him. It was pretty damn obvious. I mean, she wasn’t into me at all.” Brice chuckled a little.
“I had my suspicions about that. Cain doesn’t see it, though. But what makes you think she’s out to get me?” I suddenly felt a sinking feeling in my stomach.
“Well, the dress, for starters. That seemed pretty planned to me, but then she constantly complained about you. How Cain hardly works because of you, that he and you are always together.” Brice’s determination to unload the truth blasted through the phone. “She made a very creepy comment, something I’d expect from one of my clients but not that little petite blonde. “She said she’d been keeping an eye on you. She said eventually you’ll be gone, just like the others…and that she’d be there to pick up the pieces.”
Silence fell over the line as visions of every conversation I had ever had with Ashley flashed through my head. “Thank you, Brice. That’s good to know. I’ll watch my back.”
“Jennifer, there’s more. You need to watch Cain, too. I don’t know him as well as you do, and I don’t know what I can believe coming from Ashley, but he certainly defends her quite often. She made out there is a history there, between the two of them.”
My defensive instincts wanted to kick in and defend Cain, but I decided against it. I had heard enough and I needed to put a plan in place and catch Ashley in a lie. I wanted to show Cain who she really was. “Ok, I’ll be careful, but I can tell you there is nothing between Cain and Ashley, other than what’s in her head. Let me figure out how to handle this.” I shook my head, not wanting to believe there was more Ashley drama to tackle.
“Jen, there’s more.” Brice dropped the juicy details regarding that I found hard to believe and all I could do was shudder. I wondered if there were any truth to what he was saying and I knew the only way to find out would be to confront Cain.
I allowed Brice to finish and tried to move the conversation along. “So I assume that’s the personal, what’s the business?”
“John and Macie. They met Macie’s ex-boyfriend at the bar. Apparently he works there. There is some bad blood between them and for some reason they met up with him that night. It’s why John didn’t want to be there. He didn’t say anything else in the voicemail but it’s a start. I haven’t been able to reach him since that voicemail.”
“What’s the ex-boyfriends name?”
“Jacob. That’s all I know right now, but I can’t imagine there being too many Jacobs that work there. See what you can find out…and try to enjoy the rest of your weekend.”
I wrapped up the call with Brice and kicked back on the sofa in my office. My head was spinning with everything he had just said. I was pulled between worrying and speculating about Ashley and why John and Macie would be meeting her ex-boyfriend.
I started to ramble to myself out loud. “John didn’t want to be there, Macie’s pregnant…I wonder if Jacob knew that?” I didn’t remember Macie looking like she was showing. She couldn’t be that far along and I was really stuck on how quickly they’d both got drunk—or rather sick. It didn’t add up.
I quickly typed an email to Reese and suggested some details I felt we needed to check on, especially the new lead, Jacob. I decided to hold off on doing any other work and tried to focus my efforts on getting things organized at the office. I had a lot on my mind and I needed a mental escape. I had no idea how to approach Dad with the important questions I had, and now I was going to have to have a serious conversation with Cain regarding Ashley and everything I learned from Brice. I wanted to avoid any conflict until I had a plan and opted for a quick text, telling him I would be staying at the office over the weekend to get things finished.
I hated lying to him, but right now it seemed the easiest thing to do. I needed some insight from a level-headed person. I smiled as I sent a text to Aimee, making plans for a Sunday brunch at The Jefferson. I’d bribe her with good food and a few mimosas in exchange for advice.
Chapter Fifteen
The Jefferson Hotel valet was backed up. It was typical for a Sunday and to make matters worse I was running a bit late. It was unlike me, but yesterday had been difficult and after popping a couple of sleeping pills chased by a glass of Sauvignon Blanc it was easy for me to oversleep.
Men in red jackets sprinted from car to car, exchanging tags for keys. I sat and waited patiently, taking in the gorgeous architecture of the hotel, which was built in 1895. Aimee and I were meeting at Lemaire, one of the finest restaurants in the city and by far the best brunch anywhere.
I slipped out of my car to greet the approaching college stud and grabbed my ticket, handing him my keys. Entering the marble covered lobby, I followed the grand staircase downstairs to the entrance of the restaurant. Aimee had already arrived and was waiting for me on the comfortable looking leather bench
“I’m glad you made it! I’ve been fantasizing about this brunch since you texted me yesterday!”
“Me too! Sorry I’m late, rough day and night.” I felt defeated and knew the next few days would
only become more difficult.
“Oh no, not trouble with you and Cain I hope.”
Aimee had always been a solid, go-to friend when I needed her. I took a deep breath and sighed. “No, things are good there, but I think we need some food and a few mimosas before I get into the details.” Aimee already knew much of the drama with Ashley, but the new news I was about to share would likely blow her mind.
We were seated toward the center of the grand restaurant. Lemaire sat in the center of the hotel on the first floor, open to the levels above. The forty-foot ceiling, held up by enormous marble sculpted columns, was spectacularly decorated with a magnificent stained-glass skylight. It was easy to lose yourself in the beauty and enormity of it all. Waiters whooshed from table to table in their tuxedos, delivering perfectly prepared food and morning cocktails from the bar. Aimee and I placed our drink orders and perused the menu making small talk.
“Spill it, Jen. What’s going on?” Aimee never pulled her punches when it came to getting the details, and I appreciated her no nonsense approach.
“I’m just overwhelmed. The office move, my move, work.” I looked around the enormous room. “I feel like everything I’m taking on and doing right now wouldn’t even fit into this room.” Tightness filled my chest as I stared at Aimee across the table.
“You’ll get through it. You always do. Just a little at a time.”
“Then there’s Ashley.”
“Oh her? Now what did she do?”
“Friday night. She was at the benefit. She showed up in the exact same dress as me. She claimed I stole her idea from her social post.” The tall, lanky waiter provided a perfectly timed interruption by delivering our mimosas and taking our orders.
Aimee leaned in and took a book swig of her mimosa. “That bitch! What did you do?”
“Well, fortunately Cain was there, and then Brice showed up. He ended up taking her out of site for most of the night.”
