“Thank you, Ainsley.”
“She should be safe now, but we’ll have some of our local support staff keep an eye on all of you for a little longer,” Reina tells me.
I didn’t even see her enter the room, but she’s here, along with everyone else. No one looks happy, and I don’t blame them. The threat was real—those men were real—but it was my daughter who sent them. And then she did more. She mocked them as they were searching for her, thinking she was too smart to be caught. Well, the joke’s on her, because she’s not too smart to be grounded. For the rest of her life, or until she’s 18. I’m not sure which one’s going to come sooner since if she wasn’t my daughter, I’d probably kill her myself right now.
“What are you going to do to her?” I ask, swallowing hard. “What she did is wrong, but I can’t let her be hurt.”
“We don’t hurt little girls, Blake,” Audrey says, placing her hand on my arm.
“I’m not a little girl.”
“Oh yes you are,” Isa tells her. “You may be smart, but your maturity level is on par with your age. It’s a good thing your father has kept you in your current school and grade. You’d never survive college right now.”
“Are you going to turn her in?” I ask, knowing it’s the right thing to do.
“No. Ainsley’s wiped all traces of the emails and payments. But you should know that if she tries it again, we won’t be riding to her rescue.”
“Thank you, Reina. She won’t have the opportunity to try it again. As of today, she’ll have no access to any electronics, TV included.”
“What? No? You can’t do that, Dad.”
“I can, and I will. Can you recommend a good set of bodyguards?” I ask Reina.
“Yes, but I don’t think she’ll need protection.”
“They’re not to protect her. I need people here who will make sure she doesn’t touch a phone, computer, gaming system, nothing.”
“Daddy, please.”
“Shut. Up. Jeanne.”
“I’ll get you a list, Blake. Good luck. You’re going to need it. Is everyone ready to go?”
“I need to grab my suitcase from upstairs,” Audrey says and I look at her in shock.
“I thought you were going to stay. You said you had a week off coming after this.”
“Things have changed.”
She looks pointedly at Jeanne, but I shake my head. “Not with us they haven’t.”
* * *
Audrey
“We can talk while I grab my stuff. Will you guys keep an eye on Jeanne for a few minutes?”
“Take whatever time you need, Aud,” Darcy says, looking at me with knowing eyes.
She had to give up the man she loved for noble reasons once. Yes, it was technically his choice, and not hers, but she knows that it hurts like a motherfucker. I have no choice in this situation, I have to do what’s right.
I practically run up the stairs and into his bedroom, because I can’t have him touch me. If he touches me again, this will be so much harder. I already don’t know how I’m going to survive losing him again, especially when I actually had him this time. I have to be Audrey the Society girl, and not Audrey the woman in love, if I’m going to survive this.
“Stop running from me, Audrey.”
“I have to go.”
“No. You don’t.”
“I won’t come between you and your daughter, Blake. None of us would ever be able to forgive me if I did that.”
“You’re not coming between us.”
“If I stay, I will,” I say, finally turning to face him. “This wasn’t some childhood prank she orchestrated. Jeanne paid people to kidnap her. Bad men who didn’t know she was the one who hired them. They could have done anything to her. Anything.”
“But they didn’t. You and your friends made sure she was safe.”
“That’s not the point.”
“I know. She needs to be punished. I’m taking care of that. You heard me down there.”
“I heard you, but I also heard her. She did all of this because she wants her mother to come home.”
“That won’t happen.”
“It could. Misha still wants you.”
“I don’t want her. You know that. It wouldn’t work.”
“You owe it to your daughter to at least try.”
He knows it. I can see it in his eyes before he looks away. “I want you, Dree.”
“Do this for her, try for your daughter. If it doesn’t work out, and I’m still single, then we’ll try again.”
“Still single? You’re going to see other men?”
“I won’t be out looking, but you’ll be here with her.”
“Not like that. She can move in, but I’m not sleeping with her.”
“You might, if you truly give this a chance.”
“This isn’t how things were supposed to go. Not for us. This was our chance. We never really had a first one, and this was it.”
“I believe in second chances, Hollywood.”
“Then hold onto that thought, and hold onto me. I’ll do what you ask—what I know I have to do for Jeanne—but we both know this isn’t going to work out. Misha will never care about our daughter the way she deserves, and I’ll never love her. You can tell me to try, but it won’t happen. You have my heart, Audrey Sanchez. It beats only for you, and that’s not going to change because I move Misha into a guest room.”
“Don’t make promises you can’t keep. You have to try. For Jeanne, and for us. If that leads her into this room with you, then that’s what was meant to be.”
He pulls me into his arms and kisses me. I don’t fight him, or push him away. I sink my hands into his hair, and pull him closer. “We’re what’s meant to be. I’m not going to forget that. Not because of Misha, or anyone else. Promise me that you won’t forget it either. No matter what public pictures you see, or the ‘rumors’ she’s going to supply to the tabloids. Promise you’ll remember that while I have to try, I don’t want to.”
I step away without answering, because I can’t. I blink back as many tears as I can, but some are still falling as I make my way to the front door. Jeanne won’t look at me, and that’s just as well. I’m going to give her what she wants, what she thinks she needs, but it’s going to cost me to do it. Maybe more than I can afford to give after all these years, but it’s the right thing to do.
“Audrey,” Blake says from behind me, sounding as tortured as I feel.
“I promise,” I tell him as I turn to look at the only man I’ve ever really loved. “I promise.”
I say the words we both need, and then I walk out the door. Reina puts her arm around me as we climb into the backseat of one of the cars, and I make it to the gates before I let myself fall apart. With Reina on one side of me, and Ainsley on the other, I sob uncontrollably. I know I did the right thing, but that doesn’t make it hurt any less. They say if you love something, set it free, and that’s just what I did. I can’t dwell on whether he’s going to come back to me or not, I can only pray that I’ll be strong enough to survive again if he doesn’t.
Chapter 10
Blake
“I need you to call a locksmith, Wanda. Ask him to come out as soon as possible.”
“Are we changing the locks?”
“No. I need a new lock on my bedroom door. One that can’t be picked.”
“You’re bringing her back.”
“Yes.”
“Mom? Are you talking about Mom?” Jeanne asks.
“I am.”
“I can’t believe you really sent Audrey away.”
“I didn’t send her away,” I say, letting my anger show. “She left, because she thought it was the right thing to do. I would’ve done anything I could to change her mind if I thought I could’ve.”
“I told you she was the best,” Wanda reminds me.
“And you were right. I’m going out to the pool house. Call me when the locksmith gets here.”
“Thank you, Daddy. It’
s all going to work out. You, me, and Mom are going to be perfect this time.”
Wanda and I exchange a look because we both know that’s not going to happen. I’ll play out this charade because Jeanne needs me to, and so does Audrey. There’s no doubt in my mind that Misha will show her true colors, and then I’ll be dealing with a heartbroken daughter yet again. Maybe this time she’ll finally understand that it’s better for her to love her mother from afar than have her break her heart up close. I can only hope.
I look longingly at the wet bar in the pool house when I walk in, but while it’s five o’clock somewhere, having a drink is not the best idea right now. I need to be on top of my game for the call I have to make. I haven’t won an Academy Award yet, but I know how to perform. Misha should see through it—Audrey would—but she’s too vain. She’s going to eat it all up.
I close my eyes as I sit down, and then run my hands through my hair and over my face a few times. “Fuck,” I yell to no one in particular. “Fuck.”
I take a few deep breaths to slow my breathing, and then I dial. “Blake?” Misha asks, picking up before the first ring is even done.
“Hi Mish. Do you have time to talk?”
“For you, always.”
“I was thinking. Jeanne needs to have you in her life, and I have all this space here in the house.”
“You want me to move back in?”
No. Hell to the fucking no. “Yeah. I’m thinking it would be good for all of us.”
“What about Audrey?”
“She went home.”
“That’s classic. Like really classic. You chose me over her once again. I bet she’s off crying in a corner somewhere.”
“You will not mention her name, or even think of talking about her,” I say, letting my façade slip.
“You’re the one calling me, Blakey.”
“Do not call me that.” This is a bad idea. I knew it a half hour ago, and I have no doubt right now.
“Fine. Blake, I would be happy to move back in with you. I have some new lingerie you’ll love.”
“Save it for someone else. I’m doing this for Jeanne, and you’ll be in a guest room.”
“Maybe to start with, but we both know how good we are together in bed.”
“Good isn’t enough for me anymore.”
I hang up before she can toss out a comeback. Getting in the last word with Misha is always best, especially when it’s the truth. I won’t settle for good, in or out of bed, ever again in my life. Not after I’ve had Audrey, who blows my mind with her brains and compassion, and makes my body come alive with just the thought of having her hot body again.
I need to try and clear my mind for at least a few minutes, so I open my email and start reading though the new offers my agent has sent me. More action films, a romantic comedy, and the chance to direct a play. Nothing exciting, at least not at first glance. When I look again, I smile, and grab my phone to call him.
“Hey, Blake. Did something jump out at you from my email.”
“It did. The high school play.”
“Really? I sent that because you tell me to send you everything, but it’s almost no money, and will take months of your time.”
“Good thing I have plenty of money and time to spare.”
“You really want to move to Las Vegas for months to direct a high school play for some low income kids? What about Jeanne and school?”
“She wants tutors, and yes, there is no place I’d rather be than Las Vegas. Tell them I’ll take it.”
“It’s your career,” he grumbles.
“Yes it is,” I remind him as I hang up.
It’s also my life. I once settled for less than the best because I was young, and thought I needed to fit in. I’m not so young anymore, and it’s time I finally listen to what my heart and mind are telling me. Right after I show my daughter that I can’t have forever with her mother without losing myself. The role of a lifetime, and I’m not even being filmed.
* * *
Audrey
My friends are great, but I need a little bit of time alone. I sent them all away, with promises to call if I need anything at all. I walk around my apartment, looking at all the cool stuff I have, that suddenly doesn’t matter anymore. The chemistry themed paintings Owen Griffin did for me, right alongside the photos of things from my lab that his wife, Candi, gave me for my last birthday. The sleek furniture that’s combined with Day of the Dead decorations, merging my past and my present in a way that only Chloe Griffin could make work. Little knickknacks and vintage chemistry equipment from my friends. This is my life, and it’s a good one. A great one by most people’s standards, even. I know now that it’s not enough for me.
My job, my things, even my friends—they’re no longer enough for me. Not after I had the one glimpse of what my life could be like with Blake in it. I know I’ve always been waiting for him, even if I wouldn’t admit it to myself. I’ve never let other guys get too close, because they weren’t the boy who had broken my heart, but still had possession of it, even if he didn’t know. For twenty years, I held out for a fantasy I didn’t think I would ever really have, and for a boy who didn’t deserve that kind of loyalty.
The man Blake has become is worthy of that kind of loyalty, and I’ll give it to him openly and freely this time. I’ll wait for him to figure out his situation, and if he decides that he wants to stay with Misha and make things real, I’ll accept it. Until then, I’ll consider him to still be mine. It’s what we both want, and if we’re lucky, it will all work out. I’m not naïve enough to think it will be easy, but I’ll wait and see. It’s out of my control right now anyway.
There’s a knock on my door, and then Reina pokes her head inside. “Hey, I know you wanted to be alone, but I just got some information you need to know about.”
“What is it?”
“Blake took a job directing a play at a local high school.”
“What? Are you fucking kidding me?”
“No, and there’s more. The city’s heavy hitters want to open their pocketbooks for him and the school. There’s going to be a gala.”
“One I have to attend.”
“As Director of Communications for the Corrigan & Co. Foundation, yes.”
“Why did I let you give me that fake title again?”
“Because despite your super-powered brain, you got a degree in communications, and you’re damn good at it.”
“Oh yeah, that. Can I resign?”
“No.”
“You’re such a hard-ass.”
“I know. Stella will have dresses ready for you to try on in 48 hours, and we’ll get you jewelry and anything else you need.”
“This isn’t a competition. I told you it wasn’t his idea to bring Misha back. It was mine.”
“Maybe so, but she’s not going to play fair, so neither are we.”
“How I look won’t matter. You know that.”
“It may not matter, but you know that clothes speak silently to everyone in a room. You’re going to make everyone in the room wish they were going home with you. Male or female.”
“In a classy way.”
“Of course. You’re the classiest bitch I know.”
“Did I do the right thing, Reina?”
“You’re asking me for relationship advice? I’m in the most epic fake marriage in the history of the world.”
“You know you want to tell me what you think. Go ahead. Hit me with the whole truth, and nothing but the truth.”
She plops down on my couch, as I laugh. “What?”
“I was just thinking about having the ever glamorous Reina Corrigan dropping onto my couch with such little finesse. What would the world think?”
She tosses a pillow at me. “’Ever glamorous,’ huh? Did you not see me when we came back from Cyndryann, and I hadn’t bathed in days?”
“I think I blocked that from my mind,” I say. “Seriously, Rei. Are you okay? Being with Matt?”
“Not even a litt
le bit. Every night I go to bed hoping that the man lying next to me will magically love me in the morning. And every morning I wake up to mind-bowing sex and no substance. Why can’t I be enough for him? I don’t know what else to do.”
“You are enough. That man loves you more than anything. I don’t know why he fights it so hard, but there’s no one for him but you.”
“I can’t hear that. I need to be strong, and remember it’s fake. There’s only a few months left, and I need to be prepared,” she says. “Enough about me. We’re supposed to be talking about you.”
“You don’t always have to be strong,” I tell her, taking her hand.
“Yes I do. The nature of the Society demands it. As long as I’m leading, I can’t afford to show weakness.”
“To the world maybe, but never to us. We all have your back, no matter what.”
“I know. Thank you. Now, about Blake.”
“It hasn’t even been a day, and I already miss him.”
“You did the right thing, for now at least. I know you, Aud. You may be one of the sexiest women on the planet, but you still see the girl in the glasses when you look in the mirror. The one who wasn’t good enough for the popular boy. Now that the boy’s grown up, and wants you, you’re questioning it. Wondering if the cheerleader’s going to swoop in and take him from you once again. You made the choice you did for Jeanne, yes, but also for you. When he comes back to you this time, you’ll know he’s really yours to keep.”
“And when did mind reading come into play?”
“Not mind reading, just almost twelve years of shadowing the head of a secret society that helps women. I’ve seen it all, and heard it all. I’ve also watched you when you’re with him. You were scared when you first saw him. Then you were nervous, and this morning before Ainsley dropped her bomb, you looked happy.”
“I was happy.”
“No. You looked happy. You wanted to be, but I could see the little seed of doubt.”
“She’s a freaking supermodel.”
“You’re a freaking Nobel Prize worthy scientist, who also looks like a supermodel.”
“I haven’t won the award, or walked a runway.”
Playing in SECRET (Corrigan & Co. Book 9) Page 8
