“Such foul language,” Hugh mutters.
Jeremy ignores him. “I did what I had to do,” he tells me, “to keep you safe.”
“What?” I ask. “How does that make any sense? Safe from what? From whom?”
“You don’t see half of what goes on around you, Lilly.” Jeremy snaps. “I’ve given you enough hints to understand. If you still don’t…” He spreads his hands. “…I cannot help you.”
“Now, be fair to the poor girl,” Hugh says. “Can’t you see how overwhelming all this must be for her?” He steps around the table, toward me. “Why, I think…”
“Don’t,” I warn him. “Don’t you dare come any closer.”
Hugh stops. “Assertive, too,” he murmurs. He turns back to his son. “I can see why you like her.”
“Fey told me she never sent the text with his last name,” I tell Jeremy. “I’m to assume you coordinated that, too. Part of the illusion you were building for me? The one that made me think I was losing my mind?”
“That was never our true intention, really,” Hugh offers smoothly. “It was just an unfortunate side-effect. But you were the absolute perfect subject.”
“I’m not talking to you!” I scream.
Jeremy steps forward. Like I’ve known him to do, he assumes control.
“You will not speak again until given permission,” he tells his father. “We’ve suffered enough of your commentary. I’ve granted you unprecedented leeway in speaking your mind. That right is revoked. If you challenge me again, you will go back to the pit I pulled you from. That, I swear.”
Hugh lowers his head and backs into the corner.
“Lilly,” Jeremy turns to me. “I know what I did looks bad. But you have to understand that I had my reasons. For now, I need you to believe me. When we are no longer pressed for time, I am willing to explain them. If you want. You are the only person in the world I feel the need to justify my actions to. But that comes later. Not now.
“Right now, you need to tell me how much you told Fey and Robin. You need to tell me how much they know. It is pivotal—essential—that I have a full picture of things. Only then will I be able to deal with the issues in their proper fashion. And before you start—” He cuts me off just as I’m about to open my mouth. “—you need to understand that I knew exactly what I was doing. Exactly what it would appear like to Fey, when I cut off your communication with her. You are not to question my intelligence again.”
I swallow. When Jeremy’s insistent like this, I feel shades of Stonehart coming out. Maybe this is even full-on Stonehart. He certainly has the intensity and forcefulness right now.
“I told them nothing you wouldn’t want me to,” I say. “I held back everything. They came because they were terrified for me. I tried to assuage their fears. I told them I am in no danger from you. I told them that I am safe.
“Of course, they weren’t convinced. Robin called me. His call didn’t go through. They didn’t understand—and I still don’t—why my cell phone was blocked.”
I exhale. “But I trust you. If you say you had your reasons, I believe you. I wouldn’t be standing here of my own free will if I felt otherwise.”
Jeremy’s features soften. He does not look so angry anymore. Or so determined.
“Lilly…” he says tenderly. He glances over his shoulder at Hugh, who is busy pretending not to listen by examining his shoes.
In two strides Jeremy is to me. He wraps his arms around my body and holds me to his chest.
“I love you,” he whispers.
I love… the feeling that I get, being held like that. The knowledge that comes from being more than merely the object of desire for such a strong, powerful man. The sense that somehow, no matter what has happened between us in the past. No matter what may yet come in the future, I am safe in his arms.
I don’t need to feign strength. I don’t need to pretend to be someone I’m not. I can just be me, the woman Jeremy Stonehart fell in love with. Somehow I have to be confident in the knowledge that, for him, it’s enough.
Our brief moment is interrupted when the interloper in the room coughs.
I push off Jeremy and look into his eyes. “I’m sorry,” I mutter, “for springing all this on you.”
He touches my cheek. “Don’t apologize,” he says. “It was expected.”
“You’re not mad?”
“Mad?” he gives a soft chuckle. “I was never mad, Lilly. Not at you. Emphatic, yes. But truly angry?” He touches his lips to my forehead in a brief kiss. “Never.”
I’m about ready to melt on the spot.
But I cannot. We have things that need dealing with. Jeremy was right. Time is of the essence.
“Fey and Robin want to meet you,” I tell Jeremy. “They said it’s the only way I can get them to leave me alone. They want to see us together.” I pause. “It’s probably not such a good idea for them to know you’re here.”
Jeremy chuckles. “You’re ready to return to them, then?”
“Are you ready?” I ask. “What are we going to do next?”
“Your friends want to meet me. But you came at a bad time. Even this little excursion…” He looks around the room. “…has cost me. I’m working on a huge deal, Lilly. A massive merger. I want everything in place just before the IPO. Then, when news comes out, the day before, our stock will sky rocket.
“That’s why I’m in Boston. And while I was forced to make time for you, I cannot do the same for Fey and Robin. Hugh…” He does not look at his father. “…and I left the negotiating table to come find you. That type of disrespect, even in an emergency, weakens my bargaining position. It puts a stop on the progress we’ve made over the course of the day.
“It is the eleventh hour. I need to be back. The deadline we set to grant Stonehart Industries exclusive bargaining rights ends Monday at midnight. If a deal is not struck before them, other vultures will come swooping in—especially since word has already leaked of my interest in the acquisition.
“So if we’re lucky, my first spare moment will come then. If not…” His jaw tightens. “…well, contingencies must be made. If not, I’ll continue fighting, through the other offers, past the deadline, until I can make it work. Or, until the company finds a different suitor.”
‘You’ll make it work,” I tell him. “I don’t know what it’s about. But I do know you. And you never fail.”
My words spark a smile from Jeremy. “Thank you, Lilly,” he says. “That means a lot.”
“So reading between the lines,” I chew my lip, “I’m to keep Fey and Robin occupied until you’re free? Is that right?”
“Yes,” he says.
“Will you and I have another chance to speak before then?” I ask. “Will we see each other before you’re free?”
“I’ve taken a room at the Revere Hotel Boston Common. Don’t tell your friends this, but Stonehart Industries owns the franchise. I’m on the top floor. The three of you should get rooms there. I don’t know if I’ll have a chance to return to my suite before all this is over…” He looks at me. “…but if I do, you’ll be the first to know.”
“Okay,” I say. “I’ll try to convince them to get rooms there.”
Jeremy smiles. “It shouldn’t be hard,” he says. “It is the grandest hotel in Boston.”
“What do you want me to say about this?” I ask, gesturing around the room. “Why was I taken away?”
Jeremy shrugs. “Call it a randomized screening. They happen all the time in airports. Security is important, you know.”
More than you can believe, I think.
“Fine,” I say. “So…until I hear from you next?”
“Until then.”
I pick up my carry-on. “And Jeremy?” I ask, before leaving the room. “No more blocked phone calls. Okay?”
Chapter Four
I return to Fey and Robin alone, without the entourage that whisked me away.
Fey jumps up the moment she sees me. “Lilly!” she says. “You�
�re back! Where did they take you? What did they want?”
“Nothing,” I say. “It was just a routine screening. They brought me to the back and searched my bags. When they didn’t find anything damning, they let me go.”
“Sounds…suspicious,” Robin says. He stands up beside Fey. “Was Jeremy Stonehart involved?”
“What? No!” I say, too quickly. Fey eyes me in that way of hers when she knows I’m not telling the truth. I blunder on. “Why would you even think that? I’d tell you if he were.”
“Fine, fine.” He holds up his hands. “I’m not questioning you, Lilly. This is just another of those things that seems like too much of a coincidence to be simply swept aside. But since you’re back, I won’t take issue with it.”
“How considerate of you,” I say, my voice dripping with sarcasm. Fey raises an eyebrow at me.
I back off. “I’m sorry,” I say. “I’m just tired. It’s been a long day. Should we go find a hotel?”
“I thought we were here to meet Jeremy?” Fey reminds me.
“It’s too late for that. I texted him. He’s working. In fact, he’ll be working all weekend. So, until then…I’m all yours.”
Fey looks suddenly hesitant, and slightly less sure of herself. “I do have class on Monday,” she admits.
My frustration and anger with her suddenly boils over. “Hey, whose idea was it to come out here in the first place?” I demand. “Things aren’t always going to be smooth, Fey. I have work on Monday, too. But I’m missing it, all for your sake. So don’t give me that shit now.”
Robin steps in. “Easy, now. She didn’t mean anything.”
“I hope not,” I snap, “because it’s too late for doubts and second-guessing now. This is what you wanted, Fey. So this is what you get. There’s no backing out.”
And with that, her spine snaps back into place. “I am not backing out,” she hisses at me. “I’m here for your benefit, Lilly. Don’t you forget that!”
I teeter on the edge of laughing at her. But I’m conscious of the fact that I’m looking more and more like a bitch in her eyes, so I fight the temptation.
Instead, I just shake my head. “I didn’t ask you to,” I say softly.
“I know,” she steps up to me and rubs my arm. “But that’s what friends do for each other. Isn’t it? I’ve got your back, Lilly—even when you don’t know you need it.”
“Thanks,” I mutter. I wish with all my heart that her confidence in our friendship was enough to have her take me at my word when I tell her that everything is all right.
But, it’s not. I don’t entirely blame Fey. In fact, I shouldn’t be blaming her at all. There’s only one person responsible for this mess, and that’s Jeremy Stonehart. I don’t know what he thought when he decided to block Fey’s calls. Especially after the heartfelt message I left on her machine—which he obviously could have heard by virtue of having all my calls bound through his cell.
He said he did it to protect me. From what? If this is the outcome of that decision—and it’s something he says he anticipated—what could the alternative have been? How much worse could this situation possibly be?
I shudder to think about it. That is the scary part. The hole I find myself in right now is bad enough. The facade I have to put on about my life with Jeremy in front of Fey and Robin is bad enough. If this was the better of two options…Well, I have no idea how much worse the other one must have been.
“It’s late,” I say. “I think we’re all pretty much exhausted. Let’s just find some beds before we rip each other’s heads off. We can figure out what we’re going to do next in the morning.
“Yeah, okay,” Fey says, linking arms with me. “Come on, Robin. It’s time to go.”
***
It took a fair bit of haggling on my part. But an hour or so later, the three of us are sharing two adjacent rooms at the Revere Hotel Boston Common.
The issue of staying here came down to cost. I said that I would pay for our rooms. Robin wouldn’t hear of it. He wanted to pay, as the only man.
Of course, he does not have the income to afford even a night’s stay at a place like this. I know it. Fey knows it. And Robin definitely knows it.
So there was a bit of an argument when I first named the hotel. It was one of those uncomfortable situations where nobody wanted to address the issue directly: Robin said the he had said to Fey that he would pay, before I suggested where to stay. It was the first I’d heard of it—mentioned only after I named the hotel. I insisted that I would do it. Fey, of course, understood what was going on. Trying to help Robin save face, she suggested going to a hotel that was closer, had great reviews on Yelp, and was decidedly cheaper.
That last bit was never spoken out loud, though.
But I was firm in my conviction that we would stay at the Revere. I needed to be close to Jeremy. I needed to be able to sneak off and have a secret rendezvous with him, if I got the chance.
And so, cue the fireworks and impending explosion. The argument in the back seat must have sounded quite comical to our cab driver. Or maybe not. Maybe he’s used to this sort of thing.
In the end, however, I achieved my goal by guilt-tripping them about ripping me away from my job in California—Oh! If they only knew the irony behind that reasoning!—and pointing out that among the three of us, I was the only one with an appreciable income.
Robin still insisted he would pay half. I let him. If only to appease his stubborn man-pride.
“Good night, guys,” I call out, just before closing the door linking our two rooms. “See you in the morning.”
“Night, Lilly,” Fey says. Robin mumbles something with a toothbrush in his mouth.
The door clicks shut. I turn the lock. Then, I just lean my forehead against the frame and try to take in everything that has happened in the last twenty-four hours.
My life is never what’s expected. That’s for sure. When Jeremy left for Boston, I thought I’d have the weekend free to catch up on some sleep and recover from the intensity of the previous week. Little did I know that I would never get the chance.
Just over two weeks ago, Fey had called me with news of Jeremy’s interest in me. That precipitated everything. A few days after that—just when I thought I’d recovered—Jeremy came along and staged that elaborate stunt with his father—whom he keeps on his Board of Directors. Why? The incident made me question my sanity. Then he became cold and dismissive to further the illusion. I went to Maine, got robbed, met my mother, and repaired things between us—for a time—before fucking them up again. I came home. Demanded answers from Jeremy. Faltered in my resolve. Fell for my emotions. Fell for him. We fucked. I forgave him. In a way. I found out my mother’s boyfriend was on Jeremy’s payroll, found out her entire life was a lie, took issue with it—but not enough. I caved in to Jeremy’s pressure and relented on the promise I’d made him swear. The one revolving around the “L” word. That seemed to change him, again. To change his whole attitude toward me. That’s when he became caring and sweet again. I let myself think that things were on the right track…
Then he left and I ran into Robin. And that began the whirlwind of events and revelations that led me here.
I sigh and push myself off the wall. I’m exhausted. It’s late. I eye the bed, knowing that I need a shower but wanting to sleep so much more.
Can I sleep, knowing that Jeremy is somewhere in this building, somewhere around me, right at this very moment?
Then again, maybe he’s not. Most likely he’s not. He made it sound like he wouldn’t get a moment’s rest until the deal he’s working on either succeeded or fell through.
Fuck it. I’m just going to sleep. There’s no need to be fresh for anyone. I’ll shower tomorrow morning to kick off the day.
I turn off the lights and climb under the covers. My head hits the pillow. I’m about to close my eyes when I realize that I forgot to shut the blinds. Light from the city filters through the window. Light from the cars far below me and light from
the other buildings in the downtown region.
Grumbling to myself, I pull another pillow over my eyes. I’ve gotten used to sleeping in pitch blackness. Nothing else feels right anymore. But I’m too lazy to stand up and walk all the way across the room to fix that now.
My thoughts turn to Jeremy. I wonder about the acquisition he’s working on. I wonder—for my own curiosity, and nothing more—what all the constituent parts of Stonehart Industries might be. There are probably hundreds of them. Hell, if you get all the way down to the small, boutique subsidiaries, like Corfu Consulting, there are thousands. In all types of different industries, most likely stretching through dozens of countries throughout the world.
And one man is at the center of all of it. One man, who built it from the ground up. It’s astounding to think about, really, that I am the only person in the world he’s chosen to share it with.
How much does he himself know about all that goes on in all the different branches of his company? He can’t know it all. There’s not enough time to know it all. He obviously delegates.
But, to whom? Who are his trusted advisors? Who does he value in his professional life? If I am to get back at him, eventually, those are the things I must know.
But revenge now seems a long way off. I’ve got to deal with the present situation. I have to do away with all the surrounding uncertainties and carve out a firm, permanent spot for myself. In both Jeremy’s personal and his professional life. All these little surprises, revelations, uncertainties. All of them need to be dealt with. Only then, after I’ve reestablished some stability in my life, will I be in a position to consider the important things. Like vengeance. Like my father. Like my future, and exactly how it will continue to revolve completely around a single man.
Uncovering You: The Complete Series (Mega Box Set) Page 75
