“How close was it?”
“It doesn’t matter, Dad. Please just stop. Leave Audrey alone.”
“It matters, and I want to know.” I’m aware that I’m being crazy, but this is my little girl we’re talking about. Rational thoughts flew out the window a long time ago where her safety’s concerned.
“The main guy had her while we held guns on each other.”
“He had her. He fucking had my daughter. You let him have her.”
“No, I ran to him. I gave myself up,” Jeanne tells me, and my rage intensifies.
“Because you didn’t trust Audrey to protect you?”
“What? No. I knew she’d protect me, but I didn’t want her hurt.”
“It’s her job to get hurt for you. To protect you.” I turn to Audrey, who has tears streaming down her cheeks as she looks back at me. “I will never forgive you for this. Never.”
“Then you should go.”
“No. Audrey, tell him. You have to tell him.”
“Tell me what?”
“I did everything I could to protect your child. Everything. That’s all I have to say about the situation.” She turns to Jeanne. “I’ll let Matt know you won’t need the room at Corrigan. My friends will protect you, so I don’t want you to be scared. No one will get to you.”
“But Audrey…”
“No, Jeanne. Not now. Please.”
Jeanne nods, and then goes into Audrey’s arms. I watch as Audrey kisses the top of her head, and whispers in her ear. “Let’s go,” I tell Jeanne, needing us to leave. Now.
“You shouldn’t leave the building. Aiden just moved in with Ellie, so you can stay in his apartment downstairs. It’s very minimalistic, but you’ll have beds. Tomorrow, you can let the front desk know what you need, and they’ll get it for you.”
She’s right. We need to be protected. “Thank you.”
“How minimalistic? I’m already bored with no electronics.”
“His apartment is pretty bare, but you’re both free to use any of the facilities here. Inside there’s a pool, ice rink, roller rink, movie theater, library, bowling alley, and game room. Outside, there’s a water park, stable, and various ball fields and playgrounds. The outside is protected as well, so you’re safe.”
“Sounds great,” I tell her, and it really does. “Again, thank you. How will we get to Aiden’s place?”
“I’ll instruct the elevator to take you there,” she says walking into the hall, and placing her hand on the elevator panel. “It’ll be on your left.”
I grab the bags of groceries, and follow Jeanne inside the elevator. It takes us down, and we find the apartment. It’s just as bare as Audrey said it would be, but the beds look comfortable, and it’s bigger than our rental house.
“This place sounds cool, huh? You can even use the game room if you want.”
“I don’t. I want to be upstairs with Audrey.”
“Even after she let you down?”
“She didn’t let me down. You did,” she tells me as she storms into her room.
So much for a night of fun. I thought I’d be having a fun dinner with my daughter and hot sex with Audrey. Instead, I have a pissed off daughter and my hand for company later. I couldn’t let it go, though. I couldn’t pretend that it was okay for Audrey to put herself before my kid. That will never be okay.
* * *
Audrey
I should’ve told him. I know I should’ve told him. He was so angry, and it just didn’t feel right, but I should’ve done it anyway. He deserves to know. Then again, if I’d told him while he was berating me, he might have thought I was doing it as a way to keep him. Which is something I would never do.
How would he know that? The reality of this whole situation is that we’ve spent maybe 40 hours together. Probably not even that. I have residual feelings from high school, and he keeps saying he does, too, but are they really real? How can they be when we haven’t even had one conversation about our lives as far as what we want, and where we want to be? Nuclear grade sex can only get us so far.
My phone rings, stopping my pity party. “Hey, Jimmy,” I say, smiling when I think of my friend.
“Hey, Aud. Listen, I ended up on a last minute trip to Vegas, and I was hoping we could do some more catching up tonight.”
“That would be great. I need a little cheering up, actually.”
“Let me guess, Blake isn’t all his movies crack him up to be.”
“Something like that. Where do you want to meet?”
“I’m at the SLS, and I heard they have a great Mediterranean restaurant here if that works for you.”
“Sure. I love Cleo. Give me about an hour and I’ll see you there. If you have any trouble getting a table, just tell them you’re meeting someone from Corrigan & Co. and they’ll seat you.”
“You really are big time now.”
“Says the guy running the billion-dollar tech business.”
“Touché. See you soon.”
“Bye.”
I jump in the shower, and then throw on an off the shoulder white lace dress. I didn’t want to be too dressy, but I’ve already been called a slob once tonight, and I needed a little bit of a confidence boost. I get that boost when the valet guy trips over his own feet as I get out of the car. I also feel the eyes following me as I make my way to the restaurant.
“Wow. I still can’t believe I actually got to eat lunch with you every day in high school. Can I tell everyone in the restaurant that? They probably think this is a blind date.”
“Shut up. I’m still the same person I’ve always been. I just know how to do my hair and put on make-up now,” I tell him as I lean over and kiss his cheek.
“Did you ever think we’d be here, at these places in our lives?”
“I always knew you’d be where you are, heading up some big tech company. Me? I honestly thought I’d be practically living in a lab, and spending my nights eating frozen meals while watching The Discovery Channel.”
“And instead you’re hanging out with a movie star, or you were. What’s going on there?”
The waiter takes our order, giving me a few minutes to collect my thoughts. I don’t know Jimmy as well as I used to, but he was one of my best friends. It would be nice to have a new take on things, so I go for it. Or at least as much of it as I can tell. “We got together at the reunion, and then his daughter let it be known that she hoped her parents would get back together. I told him he had to try.”
“I saw the pics of him and Misha and wondered what the hell he was thinking.”
“Yeah, it didn’t work out. We were just getting back together when we had a fight earlier. Or rather, he yelled at me, and then I walked him out.”
“What was he yelling at you about?”
That is definitely something I can’t share. “I don’t want to rehash it. Let’s talk about you? Are you seeing anyone?”
“Yeah,” he says with a smile.
“Spill.”
“She’s great, but um, she’s also my boss.”
“You’re dating the owner of your company? Wow.”
“Why is that so surprising? Reina Corrigan married up.”
“Don’t ever let Matt hear you say that. He’d tear you to pieces.”
“I didn’t mean it as an insult.”
“Well, it came out as one.”
“I just meant that she married her boss, and you work for her. So, me dating my boss shouldn’t be such a shock.”
“I just wasn’t expecting it. If you’re happy, I’m happy.”
“I am. I never thought I’d find someone who gets me like she does.”
“Is it weird taking orders from her at work?”
“Weird? No. Challenging? Sometimes. Right now she has me working on a project that I’m not completely behind, but I’d do anything for her, so I’ll do it.”
“Don’t compromise yourself, Jimmy. If she really cares, she wouldn’t ask you to,” I tell him, reaching out to place my hand over hi
s.
“I’m overreacting as usual. It’s not that big of a deal.”
We spend the next hour talking about college, and how we ended up where we are. I give him my cover story about being hired by Jane Corrigan because of my Communications background. The real story about Maggie Griffin hearing about my work in the Chemistry labs at school are not for the public—or even long-lost friends. Once I start to yawn, he walks me out to my car and hugs me goodbye.
I’m walking through the lobby in my building when Blake gets off the elevator. “Hot date?”
“Not that it’s any of your business, but I was having dinner with Jimmy. He’s in town for business.”
“How was his bed?”
“Are you drunk?”
“No.”
“Then you need to stop talking. Because if you were drunk, I’d excuse the nonsense that’s coming out of your mouth. Sober, I’ll knock you out.”
“Oh, now you want to fight?”
“Goodnight, Blake.”
I walk past him onto the elevator and lean my head against the wall as it ascends to my floor. One night. One fucking night with him. One night of fucking. And now I’m tied to him forever. FML, indeed.
Chapter 16
Blake
“I need to call your tutors to tell them to come here instead.”
“I guess.”
“You guess? I thought you wanted to be tutored.”
“I do. I had a plan and now I can’t do it.”
“A plan for tutoring?” she nods. “What was your plan?”
“I was going to use a room off the cafeteria at Corrigan & Co.”
“That’s an option?”
“It was. Matt said I could help clean up the cafeteria as payment. I was going to ask you last night, but you were acting like an asshole.”
“Excuse me?”
“You were. Audrey didn’t do anything wrong.”
“We’ll have to agree to disagree on her behavior.”
“And yours too, right?”
“No. I’ll agree that I was being an asshole. She may not have done her job as well as I’d have liked her to, but I shouldn’t have attacked her.”
“You should apologize. Beg her if you have to. Audrey should be here with us. Or we should be in her apartment with her.”
“You let me worry about Audrey. What can we do about Matt?”
“I don’t know. I really wanted to be there, and it’s super secure.”
I pull out my phone, and text Audrey, asking her to come down to see us if she hasn’t left yet. She responds almost immediately, saying she’ll be here in a few minutes. I thank her, and put my phone back in my pocket. “Audrey’s on her way. We’ll see what she has to say.”
“Thanks.”
The knock at the door comes a minute later, and Jeanne opens it, hugging Audrey tight when she sees her. I’m glad for the moment I have to catch my breath as I drink her in. She has on a strapless jumpsuit that starts out light blue on top and transitions all the way to black when it gets to the bottom. I can’t see her heels under the wide legs of her pants, but I know she has some on since she’s significantly taller than Jeanne, and they’re usually a little closer in height. Her hair is mostly up, but there are loose pieces framing her face, and falling to rest on her tits. I resist the urge to fall to my knees, and decide I should speak.
“Thanks for coming, Audrey.”
“Of course. What do you need?”
You. I need you. I know I have a long way to go in terms of groveling before that will happen, so I stick to what I need for Jeanne. “Jeanne said she had an agreement with Matt Corrigan to use space at the building for tutoring.”
“Yes. We were going to talk to you about it last night.”
“And then I fucked everything up.”
“You used me as your verbal punching bag, yes. What about the room?”
“She’d still like to use it.”
“Okay. I think Ellie and Aiden are still here. I’ll call them, and ask them to take her in to the office with them. They’ll keep her safe.”
“I know you’d keep her safe. I knew that yesterday, but I was freaking out…and you were there.”
“I understand. I won’t say it didn’t hurt me, because it did, but I get it.”
“I’d like to try the whole cooking you dinner thing again if you’ll give me a second chance. Or third chance. Is there a third chance?”
“There can be, but not tonight. Jimmy asked me to hang out.”
“He’s taking his chance, huh? I don’t blame him.”
“He has a girlfriend. He just wants to hang out while he’s in town, and re-connect.”
“Here?”
“No. We don’t just bring anyone here. This is our home.”
“You brought us here.”
“I did.”
“God, I want to kiss you.”
“Not yet. Glad to know I’m desirable today, though, and not looking like a slob.”
“Audrey.”
“I’ve got to get going. I’ll have Ellie and Aiden meet you in the lobby. Aiden’s friend, Theo, just got to town, and he said he’d go to the high school with you later, Blake. You can meet him at Corrigan or he can meet you here.”
“Corrigan, I think. I’d like to see Jeanne’s set up.”
“I’ll let everyone know.”
“Audrey,” I say again, wanting her to look at me, but she won’t.
“Bye,” she says, and then walks out the door.
“Well that went well.”
“It did, actually. She didn’t hit you, and she pretty much said you get another chance.”
“True. Grab your stuff and let’s get going. We don’t want to keep her friends waiting.”
When we get to the lobby, I stop in my tracks. I didn’t realize her friend, Aiden, was Aiden Ford, whose father is the Vice-President of the United States. Ellie looks like a badass Barbie, and the vibe coming off of both of them tells me I wouldn’t want to mess with either one.
“Hi, I’m Jeanne. Thank you for letting us ride with you.”
“No problem,” Aiden says, smiling at her.
“Oh yeah, sorry. I’m Blake. Good to meet you.”
I hold out my hand, and both of them look at it and then glare at me. Okay, no new friends for me. At least not while Audrey is upset with me. Good to know.
* * *
Audrey
“You have someone here to see you,” Alex tells me over the intercom as I’m working in the lab.
“Who is it?”
“He says his name is Jimmy. Security let him up because he asked for you by name. He seems nice.”
What the hell? “He seems nice” is code for “he tried to bring in surveillance equipment or something to hack us with.” What is he doing here, and what is he thinking?
“I’ll be right there.”
“Great. I’ll have him wait on one of the couches.”
I throw off my lab coat and call Ainsley as I walk. “Talk to me.”
“He has a jammer, and a USB drive that’s carrying a virus which would allow access to most computer systems.”
“Not ours?”
“Of course not. He doesn’t know it, but he wouldn’t make it past the first firewall on our system.”
“I thought he was a friend.”
“I’m sorry.”
“Me too. Reina knows?”
“Yes. She would like you to take him to the PR office, and try and find out why he’s really here.”
“Got it. I’m almost to the lobby. Is my comm active?”
“It is now,” she says responding through it so I hear her in my ear. I close my cell phone, and put a smile on my face. Jimmy stands as I walk off the elevator.
“Hi Aud. I thought I’d surprise you.”
“It is a surprise. I thought we were meeting later.”
“I wanted to see where you work. That’s okay, right?”
“Of course. I was just finishing up a meeting. Let
’s go into my office.”
I smile at Alex as we walk past, and she nods. Once we’re settled, I watch him as he takes everything in. My real office downstairs is larger than most CEOs offices, but this one is just medium-sized. It has some modern art on the walls and comfortable chairs, but it’s nothing special.
“I need your help, Audrey.”
“I’ll help you if I can.”
“Oh you can,” he says with a smile.
“What do you need?”
“Jeanne Armstrong.”
“What?”
“My boss wants her, and I want my boss. You just need to get her to meet you and we’ll take her.”
“You’re delusional if you think I’m giving that girl to you.”
“My boss will hurt you, Aud. I’m trying to stop that from happening because we’re friends. Just help us get her, and then you can walk away.”
“Keep him talking. I’ve got a team closing in on his boss, and we’re looking here for his hired help,” Reina tells me through the comm.
“What is so important about Jeanne?”
“She’s brilliant. Like crazy brilliant. The only people I think could score higher on the challenges we gave her are Scott Griffin, and a girl you’ve never heard of, Ainsley Martin. And they’re grown-ups.”
If only he knew that I’ve not only heard of Ainsley, but that she’s currently working to take him down, he’d probably fall out of his chair. “Okay, so why not wait until she graduates from at least high school, and offer her a job?”
“That would be too late. The tech world isn’t like the scientific one. Things change every second, and we need to be ahead of the game. Jeanne has the potential to take us to the next level, and keep going. She’s so young, and with the proper training, she could elevate us to the top and keep us there.”
“You can’t just hold her prisoner and make her work for you.”
“Why not? You know Blake and Misha. They’re both so self-absorbed that neither one of them will miss her. She’ll probably thank us for taking her.”
“Blake loves her. He’d miss her. And she’d be miserable without him. Let me help you get out of this situation, Jimmy. You’re a good guy, I know you are.”
“She won’t marry me if I don’t bring Jeanne back with me. I love her, Audrey.”
Playing in SECRET (Corrigan & Co. Book 9) Page 12
