Playing in SECRET (Corrigan & Co. Book 9)

by Crystal Perkins

  “Not for lack of trying by the Royal Swedish Academy of Science, or every designer who meets you. It’s hard work convincing them every year that you can help more people if you stay in the shadows. One day you’re going to have to let yourself be honored, and then you can own some runways.”

  “I’d never be able to go undercover again. At least now, while I’m in the public eye a little bit, I can still go incognito in most situations.”

  “I have a plan for that. Jane and the mentors like it, and I’ll be telling everyone soon.

  The mentors have kept their promise and stayed away from us. I know what they did was really bad, but I miss them. Maggie and I were extremely close, and I wish I could talk to her about this, too.

  “Call Maggie. She’d love to hear from you,” Reina says, getting up and walking to the door. “And one more thing. While I was watching you, I was also watching Blake. He loves you, Audrey, and there is no doubt in my mind that he’s going to choose you. He already has, and that won’t change because his ex-wife is temporarily in the picture. Even if she is a supermodel.”

  Chapter 11

  Blake

  “What is this?” Misha asks as I unlock the front door of our rental house.

  “A house.”

  “No. It’s a suite. Maybe a guest house, but this is definitely not a house.”

  “Well, it’s home sweet home for the next two months, so you should get used to it.”

  “Our bedroom in La Jolla is bigger than this whole first floor.”

  “My bedroom might be, but yours was maybe half this size. Remember?”

  “We both know that was a temporary situation.”

  “Stop. Please stop arguing,” Jeanne says.

  “I’m sorry, baby,” I tell her.

  “I’m going to go set up in the master bedroom. This place has one of those, right?”

  “Yes, Misha. It even has a walk-in closet for you.”

  “And a nice, big bed for us?”

  “I’m sleeping in a guest room. The one with the lock on the door.”

  “You act like I’m so desperate that I’d sneak into your room and try to molest you or something.”

  “You tried to pick the lock on my door back home.”

  She glares at me and then stomps up the stairs. I smile at Jeanne, and try to pretend like everything’s great. “What do you think of the place. I know it’s not big, but we don’t really need all that space.”

  “I like it,” she says and then looks down at her feet. “I’m sorry.”

  “For?”

  “All of this. Her.”

  “She’s not easy, but she loves you.”

  “Not as much as she loves herself.”

  I can argue with that, so I don’t try. “If it’s any consolation, I don’t think she ever loved me. I was just a trophy for her to parade around.”

  “Do you miss Audrey?”

  “More than you could possibly imagine.” It’s been two weeks, and every morning I wake up feeling like someone’s stabbing me in the heart.

  “I miss her, too. Do you think I could go see her?”

  “Yes. I think she’d like that.”

  “Even after everything I did?”

  “She’s not going to hold it against you.”

  “I made you break up with her.”

  “Is that what you think? That I broke up with her?” I ask, and she nods. “I didn’t. I already told you that. Trying to work things out with your mom was her idea. I asked her to wait for me, because I knew then, just as I know now, this won’t work. I’d do anything for you—and her—so I’ve been trying. I honestly tried to see if there was anything still between us besides you.”

  “There isn’t.”

  “No, baby. I’m sorry, but there’s not.”

  “Did she really try to break into your bedroom?”

  I chuckle a little, “Yeah.”

  “This house isn’t as secure. Do you want me to sleep with you tonight?”

  “You’d protect your old man?”

  “Of course.”

  “I love you.”

  “I love you, too. Now we just need to come up with a plan to get Mom to leave, and convince Audrey to stay with us.”

  “Your mom won’t leave before the charity ball.”

  “Of course not.”

  “In the meantime, I wanted to head over to the high school and check things out. Wanna come along?”

  “Aren’t my tutors coming over soon?”

  “I think one day off isn’t going to hurt my little genius.”

  “I’m not little.”

  “You have to keep reminding me, don’t you?”

  “Yeah. It’s my job as your kid.”

  “Smart-ass.”

  “I learned from the best,” she says as we walk outside.

  “Get in the car, brat.”

  “Where are you going?” Misha asks, walking briskly out the front door. Running would be too “common” for her.

  “I want to check things out at the high school.”

  “What am I supposed to do while you’re gone?”

  “Whatever you want, I guess.”

  “I want a real house. With a pool, and a housekeeper.”

  “There’s a pool out back, and someone will be coming in once a week to clean.”

  “That’s not a pool, it’s a giant bathtub. And who’s going to clean the rest of the week? And cook?”

  “Us.”

  “Oh, okay. You and Jeanne. Good.”

  “No, Mish. We’re all chipping in—you included.”

  “Good luck making that happen.”

  I let go of the car door, and stalk over to her, forcing her to move back a few steps. “Can you at least try to be a decent human being for five minutes? Or better yet, a decent mother?”

  “Don’t talk to me like that. You asked me to come back.”

  “For our daughter. Not for me. Never for me.”

  “She’s that good? The Mexican bitch?”

  “She’s better than you could ever dream of being, and I don’t just mean in bed. But say something else about her, and see how fast I drive you out to the desert and leave you there.”

  “You wouldn’t.”

  “Oh yeah, I would.”

  I throw open the car door, and get in. “I wish I’d never told you I wanted her to be with us.”

  “Me too. But what’s done is done, and now we just have to get past this ball, and put her on a plane to wherever she’s going next.”

  “There’s something else you should know about her.”

  “Not right now, Jeanne. I honestly can’t take another thing right now.”

  “Okay.”

  We make the drive in silence, each of us lost in our own thoughts about what’s been happening for the last two weeks. There has not been one single day—or even hour—where Misha showed an interest in Jeanne. She loved the new clothes Stella picked out, and wanted to tell the world that the famous stylist had outfitted our daughter, but that’s it. Jeanne begged her not to use her like that, and I finally threatened to expose some old secrets, so she left it alone, but I think that was when Jeanne realized that her mother wasn’t there for her. The first hour of her first day with us, and it hasn’t gotten any better.

  If anything, she gets worse every day. She’s not getting her way on anything, and she’s taking it out on us, and my staff. Wanda even took vacation because she said it was either that or quit. I didn’t want to lose her, so I sent her and her husband to Tahiti. I’ve had to pay the day workers double to keep them coming, and the pool guy threatened us with a sexual harassment lawsuit last week. I knew this was a bad idea, I just didn’t think it would be quite so rough. That charity ball can’t get here soon enough.

  * * *

  Audrey

  Tonight’s the night. The charity ball where I’ll see Blake in person for the first time in over two weeks. I’ll admit to watching all of the news coverage, and reading all of the interviews he
’s done here in town, but I haven’t seen or talked to him. I may have driven by the high school a few times looking for a glimpse of him, but that didn’t happen, either. So it’s all down to tonight.

  “Stop fidgeting, Aud,” Stella tells me, as she zips my dress up.

  It’s coal grey, with a high neck and a mermaid bottom. The fabric is shiny, and there are some interesting pleats and seams. It accentuates my curves, and is totally sexy while still being classy. The only jewelry I’m wearing is a pair of earrings that have large black opals leading to a shower of diamonds. They have their own bodyguard, as if I couldn’t take down anyone who tried to take them off of me. I couldn’t tell him that, so I just smiled and told him I’d do my best to stay in his sights all night.

  Tegan and Reina take a good amount of time on my hair, finally deciding that it should go up. It’s in braids, and swirls, all of it crossing over each other. They thought about leaving a few strands loose, but didn’t want to cover my earrings, so they worked those in as well. I don’t even know how I’ll get it down later, but I don’t have to worry about that now. It looks amazing, and I feel great, too.

  “All conversation is going to stop when you walk into that ballroom tonight,” Darcy says.

  “That’ll be for Joel, not me.”

  Zack set me up with his friend, Joel Cruz, the bad boy of baseball. He’s going to be in town for at least six months while he recovers from an injury, and plays with the local minor league team. There’s no doubt he’ll be called back up once he’s ready, but until then, he’s been keeping the tabloids busy.

  “He’s really a nice guy, he just likes to keep up the bad boy image a little too much,” Ainsley tells me. “You might actually like him.”

  “He’s way too young for me. I appreciate him helping me out, but I’m sending him off to his groupies as soon as we leave the party.”

  “There’s nothing wrong with a younger man,” Stella says.

  “Then why doesn’t Kace have a trophy?” Ellie asks her with a smirk.

  “Or at least a medal?” Isa adds.

  “Some of us don’t need to buy those things for out men. Our screams are enough reward,” Tegan says. “And you can be sure I’m screaming every night.”

  “Besides, they all want something now. The two of you ruined it for all of us and I, for one, am not caving,” Faith tells us.

  “Complain all you want, but you all know you’ve been getting extra Os since Isa and I gave our prizes out. You want to thank us, but your pride won’t let you.”

  “You’re welcome,” Isa says, and I laugh out loud.

  “Our little Isa has definitely come out of her shell.”

  “Tease all you want, but when Blake hears about the awards, he’s going to want one, too.”

  “You say that like it’s a foregone conclusion that I’ll have him again, Isa.”

  “Because you will. I was there with you for those few days, and I saw the way he was with you. He loves you.”

  “Reina said that, too.”

  “If Tegan lets me borrow one of her hats, I’ll throw it in the ring, too,” Ainsley says.

  “Me too,” Darcy chimes in.

  “Thank you all for saying it. The problem isn’t me worrying about whether he loves me or not—he’s already told me he loves me. I just don’t know if it’s enough. His daughter has to come first, and I wouldn’t have it any other way. She needs her parents to be together.”

  “No, Aud. She wants her parents together. She doesn’t need it,” Reina says.

  “It’s the same thing in her mind, and I won’t have her let down because of me.”

  “I get it. Lord knows I understand all about Baby Daddy’s and the angst that comes from them,” Tegan tells me, “but Jeanne is going to realize pretty quickly—if she hasn’t already—that her parents don’t belong together. I wouldn’t have stayed with Caleb if he hadn’t come to his senses and stopped acting like an idiot. And he wouldn’t have stayed with me if he didn’t forgive me, and ask for his own forgiveness. We were both wrong about things, and we had to own those. From what I found out about Misha when I was researching her, she just throws money at her daughter, and only looks out for herself.”

  “Even after what she did, Jeanne deserves parents who care for her.”

  “Like a great dad, and an amazing step-mom,” Faith says.

  “We’re nowhere near that point. Remember, the man was once a boy who broke my heart.”

  “Some teenage boys are idiots, but when they grow up into good men, they’ll do everything they can to make up for it. Over and over again, even when you tell them they’re forgiven.”

  “Complaining, Teeg?”

  “Hell no. I told you I scream every night.”

  She also gets flowers at least once a week, and we take turns babysitting Ethan at least twice a week while Caleb romances her. In the grand scheme of things, what Caleb did to Tegan was much worse than what Blake did to me. There’s no competition, because bullying and slut shaming are bad, whether it’s your boyfriend or the boy you wish held that title. Hearts aren’t selective when they’re breaking, and you can grow up to be amazing while still remembering the girl you were back then.

  Not one woman in the Society is free from insecurities. We have different ones, but they’re all there, keeping us humble as we try to overcome them. Sometimes those tough conversations with ourselves are the hardest part of the day. I’ve been shot, and I know that while bullets hurt, they also heal. Words stay with you for a long time. More than twenty years, sometimes.

  Chapter 12

  Blake

  I knew I wasn’t prepared to see Audrey again, but I didn’t realize just how much it would hurt, especially when she doesn’t walk into the ball alone. I recognize the guy who’s with her, and I know his reputation. My fists are clenched as I think about her in bed with him. Throwing her head back as she comes on his dick, taking his dick in her mouth. The comments I’m hearing around me aren’t helping.

  “I think Audrey gets sexier every time I see her. I wouldn’t kick her out of my bed.”

  “I shouldn’t be surprised that she’s here with Joel Cruz. He may be young, but he’s supposed to be a stud. You’d need to be. I mean, just look at her.”

  “And coupled with that brain of hers. I mean, damn, she’s the total package. The perfect package.”

  “You have no idea,” I think, or at least I thought I was only saying it in my head. When Misha glares and conversation stops, I realize I said it out loud. Oh well.

  “You’ve been with Audrey?” the guy next to me asks, with more than a little bit of awe in his voice.

  “I don’t kiss and tell. Besides, aren’t you all married? To the women standing next to you?”

  One of the women laughs as she explains things to me. “Audrey is at the top of all of our free pass lists. And I doubt you’ll find a woman or man in this room who won’t tell you the same thing. If we had a chance, we’d all be in bed with her.”

  “What is so damn special about her? I know she’s hot now, but you should’ve seen her in high school. She was the Nerd Queen, braces and glasses included.”

  “She’s still brilliant, and that only makes her hotter. There’s rumors that they’ve wanted to award her the Nobel Prize a few times, but she’s turned them down, preferring to keep the attention off of her.”

  I’m not completely surprised by that. I understand why she can’t be out there, accepting awards. She gets enough attention for being part of the Corrigan & Co. Foundation, but that probably works for going undercover. Being a Nobel Prize winning scientist would be a harder angle to work.

  “You should see her volunteering with us,” Melinda Brown says. “She’s amazing with everyone at Opportunity Village.”

  “And she does every charity run here in town. All of the women who work for that foundation do. It’s quite a sight, watching ten hot women running together. Especially at the Color Run, when they’re being splashed with paint. I couldn’
t finish the race last year.”

  “I’m bored,” Misha says. “Let’s go talk to some other people.”

  She’s not bored, she’s fuming. Audrey is obviously the preferred choice of everyone here. Misha can’t handle being second, or in this case, I’d say closer to twentieth, factoring in all The Society women, the Griffin wives, and a couple of their friends. In this room, their brains and compassion are just as alluring as their beauty.

  Misha has the looks—and she’s not stupid by any means—but she definitely lacks the compassion. It comes across loud and clear and diminishes her beauty, at least to those who care about more than putting her picture on a billboard. This crowd cares, and I doubt she’ll find anyone here who would choose her over Audrey.

  I give an apologetic smile to the couples we were standing with, and let myself be dragged away. When I see where she’s going, I have to hold back a laugh. This is not going to go well for her, and I’m happy to stand back and let her crash. Especially after I heard her on the phone talking about boarding school for Jeanne today. Not going to happen. Never gonna happen. If I hadn’t already vowed to be rid of her tomorrow, hearing her talk about sending our daughter away so we can have “alone” time would’ve sealed her fate.

  “Hi,” she says, approaching Candi Griffin. The world-renowned photographer looks her up and down, and then turns away. “Hello. I want to book a photo shoot.”

  “There’s a two year waiting list,” Candi tells her with a sigh. “Go online and add yourself to it if you’d like. I vet the list, though, so you may not get in.”

  “Don’t you know who I am?”

  “Yeah. I know exactly who you are,” Candi tells her with a smile, and then turns to the side. “Hey, Aud, do you need any pictures for anything? Anything at all? Because I can fit you in any time you want.”

  “You bitch.”

  Candi stands up straighter before she answers. “Owned and accepted. Bye now.”

  She turns her back, but Misha’s not giving up. She hates being ignored. Ryan Griffin is her next “victim.” “You’re Ryan Griffin.”

  “I am,” he tells her with an amused smile.

  “I need a house.”

  “I’m not building you one.”