Bryce: Ex-Business: An Ex-Club Romance

by Camilla Stevens

“You don’t have to say it, Edie,” I tell her. “It doesn’t have to be tit for tat. Just let it—”

  “Will you give me a chance to say I love you too.” She says with a laugh.

  Now I’m the one who’s snapping his head back in surprise.

  Edie tilts her head to the side and gives me a teasing smile. “And just so you have something to rub it in later on, I’m pretty sure I kind of did all the way back in business school.”

  “Well, now,” I say, rapidly recovering and plastering a smile on my face. “It seems all that education didn’t go to waste. I definitely think we should put it to good use tonight.”

  “Whatever you say, professor.”

  Chapter Forty-Three

  Edie

  I wake up the next morning feeling surprisingly refreshed considering last night’s meeting with Bryce’s Dad. In fact, I’m feeling absolutely energized, my mind racing with all the ideas and plans for the future that are running through it. I can finally start my own endeavor instead of carrying the torch for my mother’s magazine.

  Blessing in disguise indeed.

  My only concern is how Mom will take the news.

  Bryce is up and getting dressed to head into the offices of Ideal Gentlemen.

  “It feels so weird not getting ready for work on a weekday. I can’t even remember the last time I took so much as a sick day, let alone time off. What the hell am I going to do with myself all day beyond figuring out what to do with the rest of my life?”

  A grin spreads his lips as he eyes me. “I think you’d fit well into the role of happy homemaker.”

  I scowl at him. “I’m serious.”

  “Kept woman?”

  “Bryce!” I protest even as a laugh escapes my lips. I grab a pillow to throw at him.

  He easily dodges it and finishes buttoning up his shirt. “You’re the smartest most capable woman I know, Edie. I’m sure you’ll figure it out.”

  I wrap the sheets tighter around my chest and lean back against the headboard. “The funny thing is, I used to like to cook. And I’m just enough of a neat freak to be well suited to keeping house.”

  I stare at the wall ahead to consider it. Sending Bryce off with a hearty breakfast and a kiss. Greeting him at the end of the day with a drink and a sympathetic ear.

  And taking care of kids, of course.

  That instantly puts an end to this little daydream. The last thing I need to do is travel down that path, all while traversing the current load of crap that’s on my plate.

  Besides, I would never give Pierce Wilmington the satisfaction. He thinks he can destroy my family just because he’s wealthy and bitter? He doesn’t know just what I’m capable of.

  “Okay, I’m off,” Bryce says, now that he’s dressed. “You going to be okay?”

  I rise up, taking the sheet wrapped around me, and crawl over to him. “Only if I get a goodbye kiss.”

  His concerned look turns into one of pleasure. “As you wish, wifey.”

  I tap him on the nose. “Let’s not get too carried away with the Donna Reed schtick.”

  “Okay, Madame Businesswoman.”

  “That’ll do,” I say with a smile before leaning in to kiss him.

  “Mmm,” he hums against my lips. “I could always play hooky.”

  I pull away and give him an incredulous look. “And make your father think you aren’t the alpha dog at your own damn place of business?” I take hold of his tie and pull him closer, giving him a sly, seductive smile. “Don’t you dare, Bryce Wilmington.”

  “Yes, ma’am,” he purrs.

  I give him a satisfied smile, give him one more quick kiss, then let go. “Besides, I’ve got a little alpha female business I need to take care of on my end.”

  “Girl on girl domination? Now you’re just making me horny, Edie.”

  I twist my lips at him. “As much as I’d love to give Veronica a good ass whooping, I intend on being perfectly professional and civil.”

  “Well, if you change your mind, be sure to give me a heads up first. I could always use a little afternoon delight of the most sordid kind.”

  “Go to work, Mister,” I sass, crawling back to lean against the headboard.

  He winks. “Love ya, Edie.”

  I smile back. “Love you, Bryce.”

  He stares at me for just another moment, a smile plastered on his face before leaving. The smile remains on mine long after I hear the front door close.

  I’m disappointed not to be walking down to the elevators with him as usual, but I’ll take this new morning routine over that one any day. At least for a while.

  My smile fades as I focus on the two obligations practically blaring in my head like a foghorn.

  I’ve got to tell Mom about Contempo Woman.

  I’ve also got to have a frank conversation with Veronica, which may or may not remain perfectly professional and civil.

  I’m feeling feisty enough to start with the latter.

  I’m showered and dressed in something casual when I pick up the phone. Hell if I’m going to veg out all day in my loungewear. It’s nine o’clock which means my absence from the Contempo Woman offices will soon be noticed.

  Pierce made it clear that my entry would be barred this morning, and I don’t plan on embarrassing myself by testing it out in person. However, I have no idea what has been said to the staff, even my own (former) assistants yet.

  Has an email memo gone out? I’ve already checked on my home laptop and found my access to my own account barred.

  Will Veronica be the one to officially break the sudden news to everyone?

  Are they simply going to play it off as though I’m out sick until they have all their ducks in a row?

  Other than talking to Pierce—something that will never happen—Veronica is the most obvious fountain of information.

  I’m sure she’s been in for hours by now, already plotting and planning her new position at the top.

  Bitch.

  I close my eyes and swallow hard as I pull up her number in my cell phone. To my surprise, she actually answers.

  “Edie, I’ve been expecting your call.”

  “I suppose congratulations are in order.”

  “It wasn’t personal, Edie.”

  “Don’t,” I snap in a withering tone.

  There’s a pause on the other end. “We should meet. You deserve the respect of me telling you everything to your face.”

  “Oh, now you want to respect me? How generous of you.”

  She sighs on the other end. “Edie, let’s not make this any more—”

  “Fine, I’ll meet you,” I spit out.

  “Not here, though.”

  “Worried, I might make a spectacle if I meet you in your new office?”

  “I assumed you wouldn’t want to put yourself through the embarrassment of coming in.”

  “Does everyone know already?” I ask, making sure my voice doesn’t betray an ounce of the humiliation I feel.

  “Not yet. I’m planning on making an announcement at ten.”

  In which case, no, I don’t want to suffer the embarrassment of that walk of shame through the office.

  “Well, you’re the one with the busy schedule these days, I suppose I’ll let you pick the time and place.”

  She pauses, then replies with a place to meet at three in the afternoon.

  I hang up without saying goodbye. I take a moment to let my blood cool down from the boiling temperature just hearing her voice set it to.

  I have most of the day before I have to meet with her, which gives me no choice but to address the next person on my list.

  I take a deep breath, then let it out before I pick up the phone and call Mom. It rings several times before I hear the muffled sounds of someone answering in a daze.

  “Edie?” Mom’s voice says in surprise.“What in the world would possess you to call at such a devilishly early hour, child?”

  “It’s almost nine-thirty, Mom”

  “I repeat,
devilishly early hour. Is it some emergency? It’s not your father is it?” She asks in such a panic that a smile reaches my lips. They are still fond of each other.

  “Dad’s fine. But I do have something urgent that I want you to hear from me before anyone else.”

  “Is it what I think it is?” she asks in such an emotionally charged way I can’t tell if she thinks it’s good or bad news. I wrinkle my brow, wondering what the hell she thinks it is. Either way, I know the answer is no.

  “I doubt it, but…can we meet. Soon?”

  “Well, since I’ve been so violently shaken out of my beauty sleep, I suppose the answer is yes, darling.”

  “Great, I’ll come to you.”

  Chapter Forty-Four

  Edie

  Mom lives in a pre-war apartment building on the Upper East Side, living the life of a stately matron. Every time I come to her place, I feel like I’ve stepped foot onto the set of Auntie Mame.

  Everything about Cassandra LeFleur is just so grandiose.

  She has a house woman from Serbia of all places, who may very well be mute for all I know. I don’t think I’ve ever heard her utter more than a few words. Probably an effect of working for a woman who easily fills the silences.

  “Good morning, Marija,” I say brightly, if only to urge a smile on that face—something else I’ve never seen her do. Also probably attributable to working for Mom.

  She returns a curt nod and takes my coat without response.

  I follow her in as she leads me to Mom’s “sitting room.” She’s seated at the small table for two by the window, wearing a long, white silk robe and matching mules, looking like something straight out of the 1930s.

  “Darling, did you want something to drink?”

  “It’s ten o’clock on a weekday, Mom.”

  She presses her lips together. “Despite what you might think, I’m not that much of a lush, Edie. I meant something breakfast-y considering the obscene hour. I have these pressed juices I’ve been drinking lately, does wonders for the immune system.”

  “I’ll take a coffee if you have it.”

  “Only decaf, this is officially a caffeine-free home!”

  “In which case, never mind.”

  Mom scrutinizes me for a moment. “Marija! Get Edie one of those juices. The ginger beet one. I’ll have the celery.”

  I throw up a little in my mouth. “Really, Mom, it’s fine.”

  “No, no, you’re looking a bit green around the gills. Have one, you’ll like it.”

  I don’t bother arguing since I know she’ll get her way. I look out the window onto the quiet, tree-lined street where mothers, or more likely nannies, are pushing strollers now that the hustle and bustle of people headed off to work has ebbed.

  Marija comes back with our drinks poured in gold-rimmed goblets. Mom’s drink is a lovely shade of pale green. Mine is violently red. I stare at it with something approaching horror.

  “Go ahead and try it,” Mom says with a smile as she sips hers.

  I take a sip just to appease her and find it isn’t terrible, though the ginger definitely gives it a bite.

  “So now, what is this all about? More business with Pierce Wilmington and this ridiculous Cheval Blanc?” She says, her eyes narrowing with contempt.

  “Mom, I really need to know the history of you two,” I say. “I know you can’t talk about the party but is there anything you can tell me?”

  She stares at me a moment, then takes another sip of her drink. “There really isn’t much I can say, darling. We were all friends of a sort at one point, then…we weren’t.”

  “Why?” I press.

  “It’s about the party but you already know I can’t discuss that.”

  “He fired me,” I say, as planned. I knew she would stonewall and I wanted as big a cannon as I could use to shoot it down.

  Sure enough, Mom sits up straighter, her eyes wide. “He what?”

  “And he’s changing the name. It will eventually no longer be Contempo Woman,” I say, going in for the kill.

  Mom slams her glass down so hard, I worry it might break. To my surprise, she stands up and begins pacing. She stops suddenly and turns to me. “Did you take my suggestion and go to Alice, his wife?”

  “It backfired. Big time.”

  “Damn,” she hisses, bringing one finger up to her lips in thought. “I figured it might.”

  “What?” I ask in surprise. “You knew he might react this way if we went to her?”

  She gives me a guilty smile. “I thought it could go either way really. Pierce is such a prideful man. But I also know how much he cares about Alice, or rather how much he cares about—” She stops herself, and waves that thought away.

  “Mom,” I groan, falling back in my seat.

  “Oh, Edie,” she says, flying back to her chair. “I’m sorry, here I am pacing the floor when you’ve just lost your position. The bastard. How are you, darling?”

  “Pissed off, obviously,” I say, then give her a pointed look. “Considering I was fired over something I didn’t do and still have no clue about.”

  “We’ve been over this, Edie. I just can’t tell you. Even if I did, it wouldn’t change his mind. I’ll put some feelers out, see if anyone else is looking—”

  “No, Mom,” I say, dismissing that idea with a weary tone. “I’m…I’m surprisingly fine about it. I mean, I loved working there and, if I was to do something new, I’d want it to be along the same lines, but—” I stare at her again. “How do you feel about it? I mean, you’re the one who started it. It’s your legacy. And now he’s destroying it.”

  To my surprise, I hear a light laugh escapes her lips as she gives me an incredulous look. “Oh Edie, you’re my legacy. The thing I’m most proud of.”

  I blink in surprise, feeling my heart pause a beat before swelling to twice the size.

  “Contempo Woman is just a magazine. And yes, Pierce is a bastard for what he’s done, and I damn well plan on making him pay. But you are my daughter, Edie. No magazine could ever compete with that.”

  “Mom,” I utter, unsure of what else to say. Then, some kind of release goes off inside of me and the next thing I know, I’m sobbing.

  “Oh darling,” Mom says, rising up and rounding the table toward me. She pulls me up and hugs me. “Come to mother, darling. There, there.”

  As comforted as I am, I’m still horrified. This isn’t the reaction of someone trying to fight for answers or at least get some kind of justice. Who the hell would finance a crybaby?

  I cry even harder.

  Good grief, what’s the matter with me?

  I suck in a large gulp of air and hold it, forcing away the next burst of tears as I pull away. I furiously wipe my face, now covered in tears and snot.

  Like magic, Marija appears with a box of tissues.

  “Thanks,” I mutter, taking the box and snatching a few out. I drag them across my face until it’s raw with pain.

  “I’m sorry,” I say balling them up and returning to my seat. “I don’t know what came over me.”

  “Darling, you’ve had an emotional blow,” Mom says, taking her seat again. “It’s to be expected.”

  “I’ve had emotional blows before.” Heaven knows Reggie alone gave me more than my fair share. “I don’t cry over them.”

  “Well, if you can’t cry with your own mother, then who can you cry with? Besides, if that’s true, it’s about time. You shouldn’t keep these things bottled up! Speaking of which, drink up. The juice is perfect for cleansing.”

  I drink if only to keep from having to say anything.

  “Although…” Mom says, bringing one finger up to her cheek to assess me. “Now that I think about it, is it possible…?”

  I stare at her over my drink, completely clueless. “Is what possible?” I ask after swallowing.

  “You did say you and Bryce are seeing each other. I assume things have moved beyond the kissing stage.”

  And how. But certainly not something sh
e needs to know ab—

  “Wait. What?” I say, setting my drink down in surprise. I cough out a laugh. “No, Mom. Definitely not that. Trust me.”

  “Are you sure?” she presses, studying me even harder.

  “We’ve been careful,” I say in a patronizing tone.

  “Oh, darling,” she says, hiccuping a light laugh. “Many an unexpected surprise has come from being careful.”

  “I think I would know.”

  But now that she’s planted the seed—so to speak—my mind naturally races back to my time with Reggie. I took a pregnancy test as soon as feasibly possible, mostly because I had very good reason to. After I learned I was pregnant, I spent the next several weeks analyzing every change in my body to the point of hypochondria. Which obviously does me no good for comparison now.

  Still….

  “That’s it, we’re getting you a test!” Mom announces.

  “What? No, Mom. I’m not pregnant.”

  “Then one little test won’t matter. Marija!”

  “Mom,” I hiss. “Please don’t send Marija out for this. It’s not even necessary.”

  “Nonsense. If you think I’m sending you out in your condition then think again.”

  “There is no ‘condition.’” I wrinkle my brow in bewilderment, but Marija is there before I can say anything more.

  “Now, Marija, I need you to go down to the pharmacy. You know the one on the corner?”

  “Yes, ma’am. I will get it,” she says before my mother can even finish, nodding, and casting a furtive glance at me before turning.

  “Has she been listening the whole time?”

  “Anything you say to me you can say in front of Marija. Think of her like a doctor. Complete confidentiality.”

  I suppose I should be grateful she hardly ever talks.

  “Mom, this is ridiculous. All this nonsense for something that you’re just going to be disappointed by anyway.”

  “How in the world do you know what I’ll be disappointed by?” she replies, pursing her lips. “If it’s negative, we’ll just have a drink.”

  “Considering how much I’ve drunk the past several weeks, it’s probably a good thing I’m most definitely not pregnant,” I say, stressing the last part as I give her a direct look.