by C. J. Thomas
It was the way Kenzie gave herself over to me, I thought, trembling but willing. Knowing she would go on a journey, not knowing where, but willing nonetheless.
It was beautiful.
I cracked my knuckles, ready to tackle the day. I felt better than I normally did after a hard workout.
My first project was the newspapers—what did they say this morning? How had the story developed? I smiled once it became clear just how little anyone had to go on. The twenty-four-hour news cycle, in which stories had to be invented, padded, rehashed dozens of times for publications to have anything to say meant nothing new had come out yet.
That much was a relief. It seemed like a lot of smoke and mirrors.
My phone rang as if on cue. “Patrick. Good morning.”
“Not a bad morning, all things considered.”
“What do you have for me?” I imagined him in a conference room, surrounded by his associates and legal team. I had a great deal of confidence in them—I needed to, or the fees they charged would have left me chewing Rolaids on the hour.
“We’re still working on it, though we’ve made great progress. We’ve reached out to your broker. Two of our team members will get his affidavit today, claiming you didn’t make any illegal moves. He has a string of communication from the two of you reaching back eight months prior to the deal between MangaCorp and Triton. The deal was hardly in its infancy at that point, but you were interested in purchasing stock in both companies. The key players weren’t even aware of the terms of the deal back then. There was no way you could have known about it when they were still putting the pieces together themselves.”
“I’ve thought it over, searched my memory for any mention of it. Nothing comes to mind.”
“Don’t worry about it. Once that affidavit is in our hands—along with copies of your communication—we’ll be free and clear. The rest of the team has the defamation suit in hand. We’re rolling forward with that.”
“It’s good to hear,” I said, a wave of relief washing over me. As confident as I tried to be for the sake of those around me, I had my moments of doubt. I should’ve known better when working with Patrick and his firm.
“You’ll have to make a statement at some point. You know that, right?” He said it with the tone of a man who knew he was walking into a ring of fire.
I gritted my teeth against the idea—I hated putting myself out there, giving the public what they wanted. They wanted to see me sweat in front of cameras. They wanted to pick apart every move I made, every time I blinked. It would only serve as more food for the vultures—they’d have another day’s worth of material to pick apart, if not more.
Patrick knew his business, and I couldn’t argue. If I never said a word, the press would draw their own conclusions for me. I had to be in charge of the narrative.
“Yes, I know. I’ll work on that today.”
“Make sure you run it through us first.”
“I wouldn’t make a move without you. You know that.” I grinned, picturing all the team members in the room with him. “Thanks to all of you for this. I appreciate your time.”
“Wow. I think that’s the first time you’ve ever thanked me in all these years. And to think, it took the allegations of insider trading.” I heard Patrick’s throaty chuckle as he ended the call.
I ran my clasped hands over my head, wondering where to start with my statement. It had to be short, sweet, to the point. It needed to leave no room for interpretation.
I dialed Kenzie’s extension. She’d made early arrivals a habit, as I had, though making a point of not arriving together.
“Good morning,” she said, for the second time that day. The sweet, intimate lilt in her voice sent pulses straight to my loins. I stirred below the waist, interested.
“Hello again. How was the trip up here?”
“The same as yours, I’m sure. Maybe a little less claustrophobic, though. They still don’t know who I am, so they don’t crowd me as much.”
“They’ll never know who you are,” I promised. If there was one thing I had to be sure of, it was that. “I wondered if you would do me a favor.”
She listened intently as I gave her the rundown of my assignment from Patrick. “I’m going to work on the statement this morning, with the goal of having it finished by lunch. Come to my office after lunch to edit for me. I need every word to count. Nothing extra.”
“Of course,” she said. I could hear how it touched her that I would ask for her help.
“Great. I’ll see you in my office after lunch.” I hung up with a smile, images from the night before flashing in front of my eyes. The way she looked, tied up and writhing as I entered her.
I groaned in spite of every effort to control myself.
Focus. I settled into my task, all thoughts of Kenzie soon fading away as I worked out what I thought was a solid statement.
I had to claim my innocence. I had to assure the press and the public that my legal team was working to clear my name. Should I let it slip that we knew who was behind it?
No—I couldn’t give Reed the heads up like that. I wanted the element of surprise on my side.
When my cell rang, I almost didn’t bother to glance at the ID to see who it was, too absorbed in my work.
I was glad when I did look.
“Stephanie?” She sounded out of breath. I could hear her gasping for air.
“Aaron. I had to call you.”
“What is it?” I sat bolt upright, fight-or-flight kicking in almost instantly.
“I’ve done a little more looking around. I couldn’t help it—I wanted to know for your sake if Reed had anything else on you.”
“That’s great, it means a lot. What did you find?” I couldn’t stand the suspense. What next? Would I be calling Patrick the moment I hung up with her?
“I shouldn’t even be telling you this. If anybody finds out I called—”
“Steph, please. Out with it. You called, it’s done. What did you find out?”
She paused, like it was still up in the air whether she’d tell me or not. I could have screamed—as it was, I gripped the arm of my chair so hard, my knuckles hurt.
“It’s about that girl. I saw her name a few times.”
“Kenzie, you mean?” A sick sort of certainty filled me. Of course he’d do something with her or to her. He wouldn’t be content to ruin me. He had to get her back.
“Right. Her. He’s been talking about her, talking about an offer. Wasn’t that the sort of thing you originally wanted me to look for?”
I closed my eyes. How could I have forgotten? He clearly hadn’t.
“I can’t tell if he wants to make the offer or is looking to drag her name through the mud—seriously, it’s so unclear what he really wants to do to her. Maybe both. He might hire her back just to ruin her. He uses a lot of veiled language, like he doesn’t want to come right out and say what he means. Even via email.”
“Shit,” I hissed. I felt the whole thing slipping through my fingers. No matter how hard I’d tried to keep her out of it, he was determined to bring her back in.
And I’d thought it would be enough for him to win her back. The way Stephanie made it sound, he wanted to get her back just to hurt her for leaving, the scum.
“I’m sorry, that was all I could find—I don’t think I should have told you,” she whispered.
“I’m glad you did. I owe you a big one.”
“Yeah, well, you’d better pay up soon, the way everybody’s looking at you right now. I wouldn’t wanna call in a favor when you’re already bankrupt.”
I knew she didn’t mean to be vicious, but I hung up on her anyway. I didn’t need her anymore, not when I knew what Reed’s end game would be. It felt increasingly like a game of chess—a game I might as well have played blindfolded.
I opened my office door, intending to find Kenzie. The door to her office was open, allowing me to see the empty chair behind her desk all the way from my own doorway. “Where is sh
e?” I asked Jeanine.
“She stepped out. Said she needed to clear her head.”
I held onto Jeanine’s desk for support. She was gone.
And I had a sick sense of certainty that the snake would strike when she’d least expect it.
CHAPTER 36
Kenzie
I had to get outside for a breath of fresh air.
The tension throughout our offices was nearly unbearable—half the company had decided to work from home today. A smart decision. The rest walked around like frightened children, dreading the moment the other shoe dropped.
The media was still camped in front of the building like they’d leased the sidewalk, waiting for any sign of Aaron. Sometimes they’d ask questions of the people going inside, the vultures. As though anyone else at the company had the slightest idea what was happening in Aaron Bello’s personal life. Like he’d let anybody get that close to him.
He wouldn’t even let me get that close, and we slept together.
I did all I could, but it wasn’t enough. The pressure was too much, but I would be damned if I’d run away. I had to put on a brave face, if only for his sake.
So I decided to take a walk at lunchtime. I wisely chose the elevator, remembering the ache in my legs after my epic climb the day before.
On the way down, I steeled myself for what surely was to come—after all, I’d been in the limo with Aaron when we got back to the States. Already, the reporters were trying to link us together, simply because we’d shared a car. Even when they had no idea where we’d been coming from or for what purpose. What did they care? It gave them something to talk about, regardless of whether it was true.
Which it was.
It was good to get outside, even if it meant fighting my way through at least three dozen cameras and microphones. I kept my head down, sunglasses on. It was better not to engage them, not to even make eye contact. They took eye contact as an invitation.
It wasn’t anything like the Azores, but the air cleared my head. The further I got from the building, the better I felt. I hated feeling that way—like I was betraying Aaron.
How I felt had nothing to do with him, and I knew it. He wasn’t to blame for what happened.
Who was, then?
Not like he would tell me, but I had my suspicions that his lawyers advised him to stay mum with me. I couldn’t blame them—it wasn’t personal. They had to protect their client’s best interests.
I thought I’d go to the park, maybe enjoy a sloppy, greasy lunch from a food truck. Tacos, maybe, or a sausage and pepper sandwich. I was never one to handle stress without eating a bunch of really bad food. It was almost a refreshing change from the frou-frou lunches brought into the office. Not that they weren’t nice, but sometimes a girl wanted to order a taco without an assistant knowing about it.
I sat on a bench with my sausage sandwich, careful to keep my expensive blouse and skirt clean. Not that I’d paid for them, of course.
Sometimes I didn’t feel like myself. It had all happened too fast. I’d needed a shake-up, but I should have specified in advance the degree to which I wanted to be shaken. Life had taken me too far in the other direction.
Things were now too interesting, too fast-paced, too exciting.
Excitement wasn’t always a good thing.
I got a quarter of the way through before finding I couldn’t eat. I tossed out the portion I’d bitten into, giving the rest to a homeless person on the bench opposite me. At least some good came of the order. I only wished I could help Aaron so easily.
What could I do for him?
I checked my phone, confirming with a sinking heart that it was time to go back to work. To think, I’d been so happy about the job. When would I get to the point in my life where what seemed to be good actually was?
I wondered if that point existed, or if I only made it up in my head.
I kept my chin up as I walked, determined to put on a brave face for the world. I was so busy being a brave girl that I didn’t notice the limousine pull up beside me.
At first, I assumed it was Aaron. When the window rolled down to reveal Reed, I took two steps back.
“What do you want?” I asked. Be brave. Be brave. Don’t let him get to you.
“I want what’s best for you.” His beady eyes betrayed his words.
“That’s a lie. Besides, I know what’s best for me. Thanks, anyway.”
“I don’t think you do.” I turned to walk away, getting no more than three steps before Reed added, “I know why Aaron stole you away from me.”
It was enough to make me pause, but not enough to get me in the car. I turned to him, hating the smug smile he flashed when he saw my attention was his. “Get in. You deserve to know what’s really happening.”
I looked around, wishing there was somebody with me who’d tell me it was a bad, no-good, terrible idea.
Unfortunately, I was alone in a city with millions of people.
I couldn’t deny that my curiosity was piqued, so I straightened my shoulders and climbed into the limo. I wanted to make it look as though I’d made the decision, that I was the one in charge, even as my knees knocked.
“What is it you have to tell me? Make it quick. I’m due back at work.”
“I know you are,” Reed said, pouring a glass of champagne and handing it to me. “Back at work with me.”
“False,” I said, refusing the champagne. “If this is all you called me in here for, I’d appreciate it if you’d drop me off at the next light. I don’t have time for your games.”
He shrugged, downing the champagne himself. “Fine. I thought I would try it the easy way, but I see you won’t let me.”
“What were you trying the easy way? Spit it out, please.” I folded my arms, the rapid drumbeat of my heart echoing through my chest.
“Let me tell you a story. It will help you understand how you fit in. Years ago, I found out that Madison Media Group was up for sale. Now, I’d always wanted to get into media and publishing. It was what my father and grandfather did. I wanted to make a name for myself. So, I bought the company.”
I waited for more, and prompted him with raised eyebrows when he fell silent.
“You see, someone else thought they were a hairsbreadth from buying the company.”
I didn’t have to ask who. “I see. So you stole it out from under him.”
“You would say that. I knew you would say that.” He leaned further back in his expensive-yet-still-ill-fitting suit.
He was the biggest joke, but he had no idea. That might have been the saddest part of all—that he truly didn’t know how ridiculous he came off. Just because his daddy and granddaddy made a lot of money, he thought it gave him class, culture. He had nothing of his own.
“That’s how it sounds to me. You say Aaron thought he was within a hairsbreadth. A person doesn’t think that unless it appears to be so. You swooped in and poached the deal from him.”
“That’s how he sees it. The loser always vilifies the winner. I see it as good business. It’s what any of the men in my family would have done.” He even sniffed a bit after that, an affectation that gave him an air of insufferableness. As though his personality wasn’t enough. “He hates me. He’s tried to get back at me for years. So, he stole you from me. One of my most prized employees.”
One of my most prized employees.
I didn’t want him to see the way he got to me when he said those words. I paused, trying to decide if he was just putting me on.
The rest of the story sounded believable enough, sadly, though Aaron had told me something different. “That’s not true. Aaron went through the trouble of finding my work, putting it together, researching me. He did his homework. He wanted me for my skills.”
“He might have in the end, but I’ll bet you dollars to donuts that wasn’t his original intention. I only wonder what else he’s used you for.”
I couldn’t help the way my skin glowed bright red. His words brought to mind memories of t
he things Aaron had done to me. I’d loved them, but was he really with me when he did them? Or was he far away, like he sometimes seemed? Closed off, unfeeling, only using me for his pleasure?
Reed took my silence as an answer. “Is he being honest with you? I mean, really. Do you ever wonder what he keeps from you? Ever wonder why he can’t be upfront? One lie leads to another. It’s like a cheater in a relationship. They’ll keep cheating, no matter who they’re with. It’s the same with him. He’ll keep lying to you, the way he lies to himself about me stealing Madison Media Group from him. He’s not man enough to face facts. Do you think he’s man enough for you?”
“Enough about me,” I said. “This is getting too personal, and I don’t appreciate it.”
“Just remember,” he countered, “if he lied to you about why he hired you, it’s not a stretch to conclude he’s lying about other things.” Of course he meant the accusations of insider trading.
I wanted to claw his eyes out even as I wondered if he was right. A person didn’t stop with just one lie. What else hadn’t Aaron been truthful about? After all, he’d lied to get me to the Azores with him. He’d lied while we were there.
When had he actually been honest with me? I wasn’t sure. What little I’d eaten for lunch threatened to come back up as reality set in heavily in my stomach.
“This is neither here nor there,” Reed said, his smooth tone of voice telling me how victorious he felt. “What’s important is you and your career. I’m ready and willing to make you an offer you won’t be able to refuse.”
He got my attention in spite of me, the bastard. “What’s that?”
“Three-hundred-thousand a year. Full benefits. Full executive privileges—expense accounts, use of the company limo and jet, trips around the world. Whatever you want, it’s yours.”
If I hadn’t been sitting, I would have needed to. As it was, his offer knocked the wind out of me. I needed a moment to think it over.
Had any other woman ever gotten that far in the company?
“Did you hear me?” Reed asked.
