by Amy Marie
Sweaty but satisfied, we rolled to our sides, breathing hard.
"Definitely a magic penis," I finally mumbled.
Oli burst into laughter and held me tighter.
Chapter 15
Oli
I plastered on a smile and circulated with Mena as she greeted guests and thanked them for coming. It was my first fancy event—the all-you-can-eat down at the Food Barn on Tuesday nights just didn’t come close. I kept feeling that something was off, like a sense of foreboding. But as we moved about, everything seemed to be running smoothly. I finally chalked it up to being worried that something wouldn’t go right after all the time Mena and her party planner had invested in this evening. Of course, wearing this damn monkey suit didn’t help, I thought as I ran my finger under the collar that felt tight around my neck. Couldn’t rich people do nice things for others in jeans?
Eventually, Mena was called away to look over some last-minute details. She hesitated, but I waved her on. I didn't have anything in common with anyone else in the room, so I kept mostly to the sidelines. I looked over the silent auction items and even filled my name in on a couple that I thought would be fun for the kids, like a Disney World trip. After all, Gene said my account was to be used as I wished. So far, my car was the most expensive item I'd purchased. But I'd spent generously on Mena and the kids, wanting to spoil them.
I watched a couple of magicians Mena had hired to walk the room and perform simple tricks. She said I’d been her inspiration and hoped their presence kept the event light and entertaining rather than the same old boorish ones from the past. I even saw a new trick and made a couple notes to myself to learn it. It had been a while since I’d put any time into my magic.
I looked for Mena and found her across the room. She gave me a little wave, then with her finger behind her hand, she pointed to the couple next to her and gave a small yawn. I hid my smile behind my drink. While most here were drinking expensive wine or whisky, I’d had to get a waiter to search out a beer for me. My concession to the event was to drink it from a glass rather than the bottle.
I knew the moment my benefactor entered the room. Murmurings of "he’s here" reached my ears. It was sad that most of these people had come to see the elusive Mr. DeLampe rather than because they genuinely wanted to help the Children's Home.
Gene wore the expected tux, although instead of traditional black, his was more of a purplish tone. I chuckled. That ought to set some tongues wagging. He had a shit-eating grin on his face and was rubbing his hands like he couldn't wait to party. His attention was caught right away, and he jumped into a conversation with great animation of his hands.
Mena joined me. "Care to do the introductions?" She gripped my hand, and for the first time this evening, I felt I had a purpose. To me, he was just another rich dude, but she seemed a little starstruck as did her father, who joined us.
We had to wade through other attention seekers, but I forged ahead, not caring that I received a few glares for my efforts. Gene must have sensed my approach as he didn't even finish his conversation with another couple before he turned in our direction. "Oliver, my boy. You're looking exceptionally well. Good to see you again."
The other people I'd irritated now looked at me with mouths dropped. I could see them whispering to each other as they tried to figure out just who I was. I was pretty sure they could have never guessed the truth.
"Gene, I'd like to introduce you to my girlfriend Jasmena Knight and her father, Salvator Knight. Mena, Mr. Knight, may I present Mr. Gene DeLampe." How was that for manners? I'd looked up the proper way to make introductions so I wouldn’t embarrass Mena or her father. Not that I was a total clod, but this was brand new territory for me.
"What a delight to meet you, Ms. Knight. I've heard wonderful things about you from Oliver. Enough that I looked your resume up. Very impressive. I look forward to hearing great things about you in the future. You must be very proud, too, Mr. Knight. A pleasure."
My girl beamed. "Thank you, Mr. DeLampe. And please, call me Mena."
"Mena, darling, this looks lovely. I should like to be invited again next year. What a wonderful cause. Thank you for bringing it to my attention. Oliver, I shall talk to you soon. But first, I should like a drink."
"Let me get it for you. Mena? Mr. Knight? Can I get you anything?"
Only Gene and Sal wanted something. I went to the bar and placed their drink orders while Mena and her father introduced Gene to a few other people. Even the couple of Hollywood celebrities in the room didn't get as much attention as he did.
While I waited on the bartender, I saw a new arrival. Instantly, that prickle on the back of my neck returned.
Shit. What the fuck was he doing here?
Jeff Farr walked in the ballroom with a pretty redhead. He looked up at the same time, appearing equally surprised to see me. It didn’t take but a few seconds before he left his guest and made a beeline straight toward me. I stood my ground as he approached. My hand readied into a fist, but I kept it in my pocket. A quick look assured me Mena was still busy.
“Jeff.” I nodded and feigned a smile. “What an unexpected displeasure.”
"Mr. Prince. I'm surprised to see you here."
"Same. I heard you were out of town.”
"I found what I needed and returned early. I wanted to support the company's charity. I see you’ve somehow managed to keep your jail time from Mena.”
Guess he just gave himself away. “Hmm. And how did you know about that little experience?”
His lip curled, and only for Mena’s sake did I refrain from knocking his arrogant smile from his face. “May I have a word? Privately?"
"I don't believe we have any business to discuss."
"Oh, come now, Oliver. You’re a man of great ambition. Let’s not pretend otherwise. You’ve managed to find yourself a cash cow to latch onto. Just remember, I can be a valuable ally. I can also be your worst enemy."
Up until now, I’d been standing to his side hoping it looked like we were having a casual conversation. But when he brought Mena into it, I was done pretending. I wheeled on my toes to stand in front of him. I stood an inch or two taller. I brought my face closer to his and celebrated silently when I saw him swallow and lean slightly backward. "I think you should watch who you threaten."
He pulled on his lapels and cleared his throat. "Huh. A juvie like yourself thinks you have—"
"Ah, there you are, Oliver. I’ve been looking for you." Gene sidled up next to me, and I stepped back from Jeff.
Gene glanced at Jeff. "Have we met?”
"Not personally, I'm Jeff Farr. I’m a member of The Cave. I—"
"Oh, there's the first warning,” Gene interrupted as the lights dimmed. “I’m sorry, Mr. Farr, I don’t remember you.” I laughed as Gene dismissed Jeff. All three of us knew that no one got into the club without Gene personally meeting them. “Oliver, we should go take our seats."
I chuckled as I handed Gene the drink that had been waiting for several minutes on the bar behind me. From the corner of my eye, I saw Jeff's mouth drop open as we walked away. I had to say, it might have been a wee bit better than the broken jaw I wanted to give him. But now I knew he was on alert, and that made him more dangerous.
Gene took his place at our table for dinner. "Your girl is beautiful. She seems like a keeper."
I couldn't take my eyes off her as she paused yet again to greet someone as she worked her way to our table. "She's amazing."
"You love her?"
Since I hadn't told that to Mena yet, I didn't want to admit it to Gene first. But it was true. I knew what was holding me back, and the timer on the clock just got louder.
Gene had a knowing expression. "I see. Have you told her everything?"
"No."
"So, you're just never going to tell her the truth?"
"What truth?” I tore my eyes from Mena and stared at Gene. “The one that I'm making my way in the world. Or the one that I'll never be able to compete with th
ese people? No one is getting hurt. Everyone I care about is happy for the first time. I don't want to ruin it."
He leaned closer. "You're lying to someone you love."
"You don't get it," I hissed. "It's like my magic tricks. People love the illusion. They don't care about how long it takes to learn or the person who performs it. They just want the show. And that's something I'm good at. Those people out there? I can't compete with their credentials to belong in a place like this. I'm just the boyfriend. They're all executives or high-powered lawyers or just plain rich. They all keep asking me what company I run or who I invest with."
Gene’s brows grew closer. "Just the boyfriend? Remember you have a lot to offer her."
"Like what?” I played with the cloth dinner napkin. Such a contrast to the paper towels I was used to. “How to pickpocket people or do a few tricks here and there? At least this way people pay attention to anything I have to say."
I hated the disappointed look on Gene's face. "In my experience, the more you gain by pretending, the less you end up with. In all my time, I've never seen money buy love."
“I thought you said it couldn’t buy happiness.”
“Isn’t that the same thing?”
Gene finished his drink. Suddenly, I wished I'd gotten another for myself. This was promising to be a long night. Fortunately, Gene seemed content to drop the subject.
"So, he’s here, huh?" Gene nodded at Jeff, who was sitting at the table next to us. He was staring back, no doubt confused at the turn of events, no doubt reassessing who was the most powerful man in the room.
"Yep."
“Well, then. This evening just became even more interesting, wouldn’t you say?”
I didn’t say anything, but the phrase “famous last words” crept into my head.
Chapter 16
Mena
I was pleased with the way the dinner turned out. We’d raised a record amount of money, my speech had gone well, and I’d overheard several compliments about the entertainment.
The only hitch was I’d sensed a tenseness in Oli that hadn’t been there when we’d first arrived. He denied anything being wrong, but I’d spent most of our free time together and had a sense of his moods.
When the majority of people began to leave, he seemed to regroup. I chalked it up to his being uncomfortable being dressed in something other than his usual jeans and casual shirt. My planner was set to stay and oversee the clean up, so I felt free to leave. Once home, I would be more than happy to help him out of his clothes and thank him in a very personal way for his support during the dinner.
He helped settle my wrap around my shoulders. “I’m so proud of you, princess.” He smiled and kissed my forehead. “This is going to help those kids so much.”
“It’s nothing compared to what you’ve done for Jilly and Jack.”
“But most of those kids in that home have no one who cares what happens to them. Their best chance is the kindness of strangers.”
With his hand settled possessively at my back, we made our way toward the exit, pausing as we went to thank other straggling guests. It took another ten minutes to reach the entrance. But even several feet away, I could hear raised voices on the other side of the doors.
“What’s going on?” I wondered.
“Probably paparazzi spotted a celebrity,” Oli answered. He wrapped his arm protectively around me as the doorman opened the door for us.
Sure enough, there was a group of frenzied people with microphones and cameras crowded on the sidewalk. Lightbulbs flashed continuously. It must be awful to not be able to go anywhere without an invasion of privacy. I didn’t see any familiar faces until a tuff of white hair caught my attention. Was that my father in the middle of the hullabaloo? Then, the discord of shouting started to form into questions.
“Were you aware that children were working in your factories?”
“How do you respond to the allegations that children were pulled from school to work for you?”
“Mr. Knight, are you aware of child labor laws?”
“Mr. Knight, what do you say about the millions you make while children starve in China working for Faris Capital?”
Oli’s arm tightened around me as I froze, unable to believe what I was hearing.
“What the hell?” he growled as he tried to guide me around the melee.
But one of the ever-observant reporters must have recognized me.
“Ms. Knight, are you proud of your practice to hire children to make your products?”
“Were you aware your father might go to jail?”
“Don’t you agree that leadership should step down from Faris Capital?”
“Ms. Knight, who’s your date tonight?”
“Mr. Prince, does Ms. Knight know about your past?”
“Mr. Prince, is it true you were arrested a couple months ago?”
“Mena, is it true your boyfriend is a thug for Gene DeLampe?”
“Mr. Prince, how long were you homeless? Are you using Jasmena Knight and Faris Capital to pay your debts?”
It was all too much. My father, my company, my boyfriend…and the press was attacking all of them? How had my world blown up in the past five minutes since I’d been inside?
“Ignore them,” Oli instructed. “You have no comment.”
That wasn’t hard advice to follow, as I had no clue what to say anyway.
I felt his phone vibrate in his pocket. Oli swore and grabbed his phone. “Yeah?” He listened for a minute then glanced at me. “Okay. Yep. See you then.”
He shielded me with his body as he pushed through the aggressive pack of reporters. A black car with dark windows pulled up. Oli didn’t waste time waiting for the driver to get out and open our door. He yanked it open and pushed me inside with him right on my heels, literally. My shoes came off as he fell on to the seat as he pulled the door shut. I felt the car speed away.
Righting himself quickly, he looked at me. I didn’t know what to do, what to say. I just stared at him.
He grabbed my hands. “Fuck. You’re cold.” He began to rub my hands between his. “That was Gene. This is his car. He told us to meet him at his place.”
I didn’t care about anything but one truth for the moment. “Was any of it true?”
He looked a little pale as he shook his head. “I don’t know, sweetheart. I don’t know anything about your company.”
I jerked my hands from his. “Don’t patronize me. Maybe not about whatever they were saying about children. But about you. Were you or were you not arrested?”
He held my gaze, his eyes worried. “Yes,” he finally answered.
I had to know. “Before or after you met me?”
“Both.” At my gasp, he hurried on. “But the first time I was just a teenager. Those records were supposed to be sealed once I turned eighteen. I know who has them, but I don’t know how he got them.”
“Who?”
He hesitated, and I knew I wasn’t going to like the answer. “Jeff Farr.”
“Oh, god. And the homeless part?”
He sighed, a tired, defeated sound. “Until a couple years ago.”
“Oh, god.” It seemed shock had reduced my ability to formulate longer sentences.
My thoughts spun like a tornado, wreaking havoc on everything I held dear in my world.
I leaned back against the seat and closed my eyes. Unfortunately, it didn’t shut out the memory of the past…minutes? Hours? If someone had told me a month had passed, I wouldn’t doubt it. The dinner we’d attended felt ages ago.
I sat up with a gasp. “My father.”
“He’s fine. Gene made sure someone got him out of there.” I could see his eyes were wary as he watched me. “Mena—”
I held up my hand. “Don’t. I’m sure you have an explanation you’re ready to deliver, but it should have been done a long time ago. I feel like I’ve been living a fantasy, a lie of smoke and mirrors. I need to go home. I need to find and talk to my father. I need to get law
yers and PR and…”
I couldn’t talk beyond the lump that formed in my throat. My world was falling apart, and both of the men I trusted to keep my world safe had dumped it upside down.
“Please, just take me home.”
“No, Mena, please. Come to Gene’s. It safe and quiet and we can talk. I have a lot to tell you that you—”
“No. Please take me home.” Before I break.
“Mena…”
“Stop. Just stop. Right now, I’m not in a frame of mind to handle whatever it is you need to tell me. I don’t know what’s going on with my father, my job, my work. I can only handle one thing at a time, and right now, I have to see my father. You have Gene. My dad only has me.”
“And you, Mena? You have me. Nothing has changed. Let me be here for you.”
My laugh sounded a little manic. “Don’t you see, Oli? It has changed. You’ve lied to me. I don’t know who you really are or what’s real with you. But my company is real, and right now, I need to figure out what the hell is happening with it. So please, I’m asking one last time, take me home.”
He stared at me, and I could see his heart breaking in his eyes. A large part of me wanted to stay with him and just have him by my side while I sorted everything else out. But I had to save a business, and that could be done with logic and lawyers and whatever else it took.
It wasn’t so simple with my heart.
Oli nodded and gave directions to the driver. “This doesn’t mean I’m giving up, Mena. I’m sorry. I should have been upfront about everything, but I’m begging you to please give that chance now.”
I heard the plea in his voice. It nearly broke me, and I couldn’t prevent the tear that spilled over. “I believe you, Oli. But you did lie. You didn’t trust me to be strong enough. I’ve had enough of that from men in my life lately. Give…give me some time. Then we’ll talk.”
The limo pulled up outside my condo. Fortunately, the press hadn’t found my address yet.
“Good night, Mena.”
His voice sounded flat, and the zest I usually saw in his eyes was gone. I understood. I felt empty inside, too, as I watched my heart drive away.
