Deliciously Damaged

by KB Winters

  If Angela was surprised, she did a hell of a job masking it. She simply nodded her understanding and came over to join us at the island quietly, as she stirred a splash of cream into her own cup of coffee.

  For a few minutes, we sat, sipping on coffee and turning over our own thoughts, no one eager to add to the conversation. I was just about to ask Angela about her most recent doctor appointment, when the oven timer interrupted the silence, and she hurried to pull the bubbling frittata out. “Mmm.” She poked at the top with a fork. “Looks good, I have everything set up on the deck.”

  Allie jumped up and smiled sweetly at me as I snagged her coffee mug and headed for the expansive deck off the kitchen where Angela had laid out the patio table with blue and rust colored plates and bowls filled with fresh fruit and a large platter of toast. I followed the girls outside where the tension of the previous conversation melted away in the hot LA sun.

  Chapter Two — Allie

  “Mr. Brighton, Ms. Rand, Mr. Peters is ready to see you.”

  Those were the words I’d been waiting to hear for the last two weeks, but as Cooper started to rise from his seat next to me, my fingers gripped his arm with a sudden surge of terror. Mr. Peters’ assistant was standing in the doorway, her hands politely folded in front of her as she considered us. Justin Peters was one of California’s top lawyers, and had come with a high recommendation from Cooper’s family lawyer to handle our case.

  It had been nearly three months since the night in Cooper’s office where I’d discovered the hacker that had nearly taken down Brighton Enterprises. Then, the next day, I found out not only the identity of the hacker, but that it was Clay, the boyfriend of my once-upon-a-time friend, Bryce, who actually turned out to be not a friend after all…

  I still wasn’t over it. The experience had called into question the level of trust I’d gave anyone, and at times, I was gripped with a paralyzing fear that made me draw further into myself. I was beginning to feel the same as I had after my nasty breakup with my evil ex-boyfriend, Marx. All those same thoughts, doubts, and insecurities had been drawn out, and everything I’d stuffed away—insisting I’d deal with later— was now staring back at me in the face.

  It hadn’t helped that the months following the event had been filled with private investigators, consultants, and tech gurus who Cooper had hired to collect evidence and bring everything together so when we went to Cooper’s lawyer, we had everything they needed in order to build a solid case against Clay and my so-called friend, Bryce. The invasive questions, interviews, and skepticism had only made me more stressed and withdrawn. We’d been waiting for this meeting for weeks, ready to get all the cards on the table, make our decision and move on with our life.

  The only thing left to do was tell the other side of the story.

  My side.

  That was the part that had my heart racing, foot tapping, and my fingernails digging into the thick sleeve of Cooper’s jacket. He slid his hand under mine, loosening my grip, and folding his fingers around mine. “It’s all right, baby. Come on,” he whispered into my ear. His voice sounded calm and confident, like it always did, and I let his strength seep into me as we followed the assistant into an empty office space.

  The assistant deposited us in a large conference room that was lined with floor to ceiling windows that flooded the room with light and gave a breathtaking view of the city. Cooper pulled out a chair for me and squeezed my hand before I sat down.

  “Mr. Peters will be right in. Can I get you anything to drink? Espresso? Tea?” the assistant asked.

  “Water is fine,” Cooper answered before taking his seat next to mine. The assistant smiled and scurried off, leaving us alone in the room. Once the door was closed softly, Cooper turned to me and ran a hand down the side of my face. “Whatever you want to do, that’s what we will do. You don’t have to do anything, or say anything that will make you uncomfortable. I don’t want you to worry.”

  I smiled and relaxed against Cooper’s hand. “Thank you.”

  His words meant more to me than I could fully express and made me feel even guiltier about the fact that I was holding back from him. But, there were parts of the story he still didn’t know, and although some nagging in the back of my mind told me I should fill him in, I hadn’t quite drummed up the courage to do it yet.

  Moments later, a man in a navy blue pinstripe suit burst into the room. “Good afternoon. Let’s get right down to the brass tacks here,” he started, sitting behind his desk. I could feel Cooper bristle beside me at the man’s brash mannerisms, but he kept his face impassive and cool. “I’ve read everything from the investigators and I think you have a solid case. The question is, what do you want to do? Is this about money? Data? What do you want?”

  “I couldn’t care less about the money, Mr. Peters. The only reason I am pursuing this is to make sure it doesn’t happen again. I want justice served for what this man tried to do to my company,” Cooper explained.

  Mr. Peters surveyed us both for a moment and then flashed a tight lipped smile. “Excellent.” He rubbed his hands together like some cartoon movie villian, and if he’d had a mustache, I was fairly certain he would’ve twirled it before diving into his very detailed plan on the particulars of all the charges we’d be filing against Clay and Bryce.

  The more he and Cooper talked—the farther and farther away I began to feel. Eventually, I shut down completely and sat back in my chair, their words nothing more than a droning hum in my ears. When the meeting came to a close, we stood up, shook Mr. Peters hand and then let him escort us back to the elaborate lobby area where Cooper set a follow up appointment with his assistant.

  We were halfway across the parking lot before Cooper asked, “What did you think?”

  I shrugged. “I don’t know what to think of any of it. I thought by now I’d know what to do, but I don’t. Although, it doesn’t really feel like it matters what I think anyways. You basically told him to let the dogs loose. He’s probably up there making phone calls and filing paperwork right now!”

  “Allie, you heard what he said, right? If we don’t press charges, it leaves us wide open for this kind of attack to happen again. I think you’re forgetting what could’ve happened if you hadn’t caught the virus in time. Think of the damage that could have been done.”

  “I know that, Cooper, but what about me? What about my wrongdoing? I might not have been planting viruses, but the last time I checked, stealing proprietary information was illegal too,” I hissed under my breath.

  Cooper threw a startled glance around the lot, making sure no one was close enough to overhear. “I know that, but you heard what he said, since you weren’t hacking into anything even remotely connected with Clay and his company, there’s no reason it has to be brought up at the trial. You’re safe, Allie. We’re safe.”

  I knew there was no point in arguing with him, so I shut my mouth and followed him to where he’d parked the giant SUV. He opened the passenger door and ushered me inside. When he was in the driver’s seat, we were stuck in an awkward silence for a few minutes, neither of us quite sure what to say or do next. I could feel his frustration rolling off of him, but didn’t know what to say to make it stop—even if I’d wanted too.

  “Allie, baby, I don’t want to fight with you on this. I told you when all of this started, it would be your call. So, you do have the final say, okay?” He pulled me across the center console and my head naturally rested on his chest.

  I sighed. “I don’t want Clay and Bryce to get away with what they did to you, to Brighton Enterprises, to me—us. It’s horrible. But, these last few months have been pure chaos and I don’t know if I can take much more. Going to court is only going to amp everything up. More questions, more stress, more sleepless nights. And what if they get vindictive and try to hurt us? I mean, this could go wrong in about a thousand different ways. Have you even thought about that?”

  Cooper tipped my chin up, “Of course, babe. But, I won’t let anything happen
to you. I promise.” He brought his lips down to mine and just before he kissed me, it was like all the air had been sucked from the cab of the SUV, and I couldn’t breathe. I pulled back and wiggled out of his reach and pushed his hands back down my thighs, forcing them to rest on my knees.

  “What’s wrong? Are you all right?” He asked, his eyes flashing with concern.

  I shoved away from him, pressing back into the passenger seat. I lay my head back, closed my eyes, and took a long, deep breath. “No, I’m not. I just need to go home. I’m tired and don’t feel very good.” I glanced over at him—waiting for the series of questions I knew would follow. Cooper searched my eyes for a moment, and although I knew he wasn’t buying my story, he shifted the car in gear and took off in the direction of my apartment without another word.

  Chapter Three — Allie

  The next morning, I did my best to keep my head held high and my shoulders rolled back as I strode into Cooper’s office. I’d already admitted to myself that my behavior the afternoon before hadn’t been ideal, but I’d decided there was no reason to act like a dog with her tail between her legs, either. I smiled at Laura—the replacement I’d insisted Cooper hire as soon as we were officially a couple. As far as I knew, Kimberly had been sent down to the mail room, which was more than fine with me.

  I pushed into Cooper’s office and stopped a few feet inside, pausing to shut the door behind me. His high back office chair was rotated to face me, and he was jibber jabbering on about some business deal. His voice had a hostile undertone to it and I was totally relieved to not be the target of his wrath.

  Or, I was, until he spun around to face me at the sound of the door shutting, and it was apparent that, in fact, I was the source of his frustration and as soon as the call ended he’d be directing it my way. I sighed and crossed the room to sink into one of the chairs across from him, waiting for him to finish his business call. As I picked at the hem of my skirt, I found myself wishing I’d thought ahead and worn something a little sexier. In the few months we’d been together, I’d learned the only spot of weakness in his armor was that he found it nearly impossible to stay mad at me when I got him thinking about all the other…more entertaining…things we could be doing together instead of arguing.

  “—that’s it, Chuck, end of story. Either get me some better numbers, or I’ll take my business elsewhere.”

  I winced as he ended the call with a firm banging of the headset against the sleek phone base. “Bad time?” I asked.

  Cooper stared at me, his eyes dark and dangerous, before he cut away and leaned over his desk top to massage a knot at the base of his neck. “Bad day.”

  “I’m sorry,” I said, hoping it was understood as more of an apology for lashing out the night before. A little pit of guilt bubbled in my stomach as I realized that his bad day probably had more to do with a restless night—thanks to our verbal tussle—than it did with unfavorable sales data.

  Cooped stopped rubbing his neck and braced his elbows on the desk, clasping his hands together. “Are you ready to talk about it?”

  My heart stuttered at the direct question and the piercing look in his eyes. It was something I should have been used to, Cooper wasn’t one to drag things out, and for whatever reason, when he got that determined look in his eye, I couldn’t help but feel off-kilter. I’d become so used to keeping things to myself and tamping my secrets down into little tiny boxes in the back of my mind. It was hard to release it all now, even though I’d learned the hard way, it was essential if I wanted to share my life with Cooper. He wasn’t content to let me keep my heart tucked away. “Not really,” I answered, picking up one of the picture frames from the corner of his desk. It held a picture of a Santa Monica sunset, taken when Cooper had whisked me away for a romantic weekend a couple of weeks into our relationship. He’d originally planned a trip to Mexico, but when I told him I hated flying, he changed it to Santa Monica instead.

  When I looked up from the picture, he was still fixed on me, not letting me off so easily. I sighed. “I know, I know. I was a total crazy lady last night.”

  “No argument here,” he quipped.

  I set the frame down roughly. “I’m trying to fix this, Cooper.”

  He sucked in a deep breath and ran his fingers through his hair. “All right, Allie. Tell me what you want? You heard what the lawyer said, so what do you want me to do?”

  “I want to drop it.”

  Cooper’s eyes went wide. My answer was the last one he’d probably been expecting. “Drop it?”

  I nodded and swallowed the lump that had built up in my throat. “I know your lawyer guy is really good, and it would more than likely be fine—but I can’t risk it, Cooper. The chance that it doesn’t go as planned and everything comes out—”

  “That’s not going to happen.”

  “You can’t possibly know that, though! If the truth comes out, about my hacking, and the stuff I dug up for Plush. If that all gets dragged through the courts, then it’s not just me in trouble, it’s Plush, it’s Brighton Enterprises, it’s—” my words cut off. “We just can’t. It’s not worth it.”

  Cooper looked ready to launch out of his chair. “So, what are you proposing then? We just wait around and hope it doesn’t happen again? That they decide not to fuck with us again?”

  “I don’t know,” I replied, my voice quiet.

  Cooper’s face shifted. “What are you afraid of, Allie?”

  Shit. “Please, Cooper. Just drop it.”

  “Allie, haven’t we been through this enough? I know when you’re keeping something from me. Just tell me what’s going on.”

  “See? This is why I went home alone last night. You’re pressuring me and it feels like I can’t breathe! I need this whole thing to go away, right now.” I squeezed my eyes shut, trying to trap my hot tears, but they broke free and slid down my cheeks. “I don’t want to talk about this anymore.”

  Cooper was at my side within half a second and pulled me against his chest. “Okay, baby, whatever you want. We won’t do the lawyers and court. I’ll handle this.”

  I nodded against his chest, my throat tight and constricted.

  He pressed a kiss against my forehead and held it there for the minute I needed to regather myself. When I’d calmed down, I straightened up and finally looked at him and met his eyes. “That’s really what you want?” he asked.

  “Yes.”

  He considered me for another moment, but then he kissed my face again and said, “Consider it done.”

  “What are you going to do?” I asked, suddenly sobered. Cooper’s tone was low and dangerous.

  “I’ll handle it.”

  I wrinkled my nose at him. “Cooper, this isn’t a mob movie. Tell me what you’re going to do!”

  “I’m going to talk to Clay. Jeeze, Allie, I’m not threatening to feed him to the fish or something.”

  I crossed my arms. “What are you going to say to him?”

  We squared off, staring each other down, waiting for one of us to break. When it became clear that neither of us was backing down, Cooper said, “Allie, it’s either my way, or we go back to Mr. Peters office.”

  I had my reasons for not wanting to go to court against Clay and Bryce, reasons that were bigger than my own humiliation and pride. “Fine.” I stood from my chair and stalked back towards the door.

  “See you for dinner?” Cooper called after me.

  “Can’t wait!” I threw back sarcastically at the same time I flung the door open and marched myself out into the hallway. I got about two steps outside when I could’ve sworn I heard the low, gravelly sound of Cooper chuckling.

  Chapter Four — Allie

  One of the weirdest things about my transition to being Cooper’s girlfriend was that we still worked together and at work—he wasn’t Cooper. He was Mr. Brighton. Our relationship wasn’t necessarily a secret, but Cooper insisted we keep things professional so no one could ever get the wrong idea about my position being a fringe benefit o
f sharing his bed. I agreed it was no one else’s business and after the disaster at Spotlight, I was more than fine with keeping things on the down low to avoid company gossip. Although, there were still moments when it was weird to go about our day and not be able to acknowledge each other beyond what was expected.

  Even thought I’d moved on from the hacking job, I remained in my original office—one floor down in the IT department. I was busy working on a new line of all-natural Plush products, and had very little to do with technology, but it was easier to stay put and not change offices just because my role in the company had changed.

  At night, I’d usually leave the office to go home alone and feed Sam. Then I’d meet up with Cooper by eight, usually at some fancy downtown restaurant, then we’d go to his penthouse for the night. So, I was surprised to find Cooper waiting in my office when I’d returned from a meeting with the graphic designer who was making new logos for the new Plush line of all-natural products.

  “Afternoon,” I greeted, keeping my voice neutral as I swept past him to sit behind my desk. My office was walled with windows and although with the touch of a button, I could have the bamboo blinds pull closed for privacy—it would be a little suspicious. His hand grazed my ass as I rounded the desk and I shot him a warning look as I smoothed the back of my pants and sat down. “What can I do for you, Mr. Brighton?”

  “I believe we had dinner plans, Ms. Rand.” Cooper flashed me a devilish smile that made my heart thump out to a new, frantic beating.

  I folded my arms on top of my desk. “Does that mean it’s handled?”

  Cooper leaned back in his chair and stared at me for a moment.

  I sighed. “Come on, Coop. Don’t make me beg for information.”

  He cleared his throat and his expression darkened. It was clear he didn’t want to talk about it—but if he expected me to let it go and move on, he needed to bring me up to date. As much as I was resistant to share my secrets, Cooper was just as reluctant to share just about…anything.