The Beat and The Pulse Box Set 2

by Amity Cross

  “It’s a little old to still be an assistant,” Mrs. Carmichael quipped, gesturing to George for a refill.

  “I… ah…” I stuttered, not knowing how to answer the question to their liking without revealing too much of my past.

  With everything happening between Caleb and I so fast and with the chaos surrounding the days manning the booth at the expo, I hadn’t confronted how I was going to confide in him. I was going to tell him about Mel…but not just yet. When things calmed down.

  “She’s brilliant at her job,” Caleb said, narrowing his eyes in a clear warning. “Age has nothing to do with it. She’s dedicated, and I have no doubt she’ll rise fast.”

  Mr. Carmichael grunted. “So good she shirked off an important commitment to be here of all places.”

  Caleb’s mouth fell open. “Dad. Seriously?”

  “Some things are more important than work,” I said, resisting the urge to run. My throat tightened slightly, but I swallowed hard before continuing. “One can fight their entire life for their profession only to look back and see all the things they left behind. Sometimes, the choice is easy.”

  Vincent Carmichael stared at me, his glass poised halfway between the coaster and his lips. Whatever he thought about my declaration was beyond me. That man was harder to read than a brick wall. Knowing he was a world champion boxer, I understood that it wasn’t in his nature to show weakness even if he felt it or not. That tidbit I’d learned from Caleb in one of our many self-defense lessons.

  A cough from the entrance to the dining room broke the silence, and we turned to see a maid lingering.

  “Dinner is ready,” she declared meekly.

  Lilly Carmichael rose to her feet rather gracefully for a woman who’d downed three drinks in the space of ten minutes. “Thank you, Mary. We’ll be right in.”

  Mr. Carmichael tore his gaze from mine, and I glanced at Caleb, my chest feeling tight.

  “Is there someplace I can wash up?” I asked him, desperate for some breathing room.

  His hand found mine and squeezed. “You okay?”

  I nodded, barely able to hold onto the flood of tears that had risen without warning. “Yeah. I just need a minute.”

  “Through here, and the second door to the left,” he said. “Do you want me to wait?”

  “No. I’m fine, really.”

  I waited until everyone had turned before disappearing in the other direction. I found the powder room without much trouble and immediately closed myself inside. Leaning against the basin, I took a few deep breaths. Caleb wasn’t wrong when he said his parents were intense. The air was thick with expectations, and I wasn’t fool enough to think I was exempt from them. The whole dinner felt like an attempt to size me up and see if I was good breeding stock, not to simply enjoy my company.

  To think I’d missed the Gala for this.

  Glancing up at my reflection, I took in my flushed cheeks and frightened eyes and scowled. They were a pair of bullies, plain and simple. Caleb and I were stronger together. We were great, in fact. He’d said so himself. His parents’ opinion of me wouldn’t sway his.

  Gathering my wits, I pushed out of the powder room, ready to face however many courses this painful dinner was and get the hell out of there.

  “Juliette.”

  My heart leapt as I turned to find Vincent Carmichael standing a few paces away. Waiting for me, obviously. How nice of him.

  “Mr. Carmichael,” I said curtly.

  “You’re very pretty and well-spoken, Juliette, but Caleb isn’t a man who sticks to relationships. It’s not in his nature.”

  “Excuse me?” I hesitated, his directness pushing me off-balance, and I glanced down the hall. Unfortunately, we were alone.

  “Caleb belongs in the ring. It’s always been his destiny to box.”

  Obviously, his dad saw me as a distraction from what he wanted, not Caleb. “But his injury…”

  “Is a mere setback.”

  I shook my head, beginning to understand why there was so much animosity between the pair. Caleb had said his father was intense and had also implied he was a controlling son of a bitch. Failure is not an option was his motto, apparently, and I could see it was true. If Caleb allowed him, Vincent Carmichael would bully his son right back into the ring where one hit…

  “Caleb will come to his senses sooner or later,” he went on, his lip curling. “You are a momentary distraction in a long line of them.”

  “I don’t understand…” I began, not knowing where this was coming from. I’d thought he liked me well enough, but it seemed the entire dinner was going to be a cross-examination. Good cop. Bad cop. He’d been determining my…suitability.

  “I’ll make it simple for you, Juliette,” he said, his blue eyes piercing mine. They’d gone cold, and I shivered. “I’m willing to give you fifty thousand to leave my son alone. Break up with him, make it convincing, stay away forever, and we won’t have any problems.”

  I blinked hard, completely blinded by what was happening. “Fifty thousand?”

  “Dollars, Juliette. Dollars.”

  I stared at him, unable to form any words. He was seriously offering me money to leave Caleb? The man who’d brought me back from the brink and—honestly, I was going right out there and calling it—saved my life.

  “Think about it,” he said, offering me a business card. “I’m sure you’ll come to your senses sooner or later. Things will become strained between you, your relationship will fall apart, and you’ll wish you’d taken the money while it was still on the table. I understand what this kind of money could do for someone like you.”

  “How do you know?” I asked, my voice coming out in a terrified squeak.

  “I know more than you realize, Juliette.” He straightened his tie and smiled, the light never returning to his eyes. “I can have you removed forcibly if need be. We can be amicable about this. You get compensated, my son will only suffer a slight setback, and then we’ll all be happier for it.”

  “Happier?” My mouth fell open. I would be devastated. Caleb was the one shining light in my life. The one constant in years and years of shit. He’d saved me. I could never be happier without him. And Caleb didn’t want to risk permanent paralysis by going back to professional boxing. That was why he’d turned to coaching at Beat.

  Vincent Carmichael stared at me with a raised eyebrow. He looked so much like his son, but under the surface, they couldn’t be any more different. It was startling.

  “No,” I said, shaking my head. “It’s cruel and callous. I cannot believe… I love him.”

  He looked me up and down, obviously finding me wanting. “So be it.”

  Practically pushing past the man, I found my way into the dining room unassisted. Caleb rose to his feet and pulled out the chair next to his.

  Sitting, I glared at Mr. Carmichael across the table, but it was like I didn’t exist.

  “Everything okay?” Caleb asked, returning to his chair.

  “Yeah,” I replied, smoothing my napkin over my lap. “Everything is perfect.”

  22

  Caleb

  The ride back to Juliette’s was awkwardly silent.

  Pulling the car up out the front of her place, I turned in my seat, my jaw tight. My parents had been borderline classist if you asked me. Grilling her like she was a second-class citizen because she had a job as an assistant. Who cared? I sure didn’t, but from the way their behavior had silenced her, Juliette sure did.

  “Do you… Do you mind if I just go home?” she asked, her gaze fixed on her hands. “I’ve got the last day of the expo tomorrow. It’s been really busy and…”

  So no invite in, then.

  “It’s cool,” I said, smiling half-heartedly. “We’ll catch up Monday if you still want to come to training.”

  Her head flew up, her eyes wide. “Of course, I do.”

  “Then I’ll see you Monday.” I cupped her face in my hand, stroking my thumb back and forth over her smooth skin. “Six o�
�clock‬ sharp.” ‬‬‬‬

  She nodded, her fingers grazing my leg.

  Leaning in, my nose brushed against hers, and I kissed her. Softly at first, but when her grip tightened on my thigh, I tilted my head to the side and pressed my tongue against her lips. She parted, allowing entrance, and I took full advantage.

  My mouth was hard against hers, my tongue stroking deep, telling her there was nothing anyone could do to tear us apart. No meddling parents, no secret pasts. Nothing.

  Parting, I caressed her cheek once more before allowing my hand to fall away.

  “Goodnight,” she whispered, opening the door.

  “Goodnight.”

  I watched her walk toward her flat, my gaze studying her body as she went. She’d looked beautiful tonight, but after my father’s questioning, her confidence dulled some even as she’d bitten back with grace. There was fire inside of her, a fire that’d been dulled, but it was there, waiting to ignite.

  When she finally stepped inside and turned on the light, I gunned the engine and pulled out onto the street, bound for home.

  I would see her on Monday, and by then, things would’ve calmed.

  Sunday was my one day off work for the week.

  It’d taken me a while to become used to the comings and goings of Beat, but I didn’t mind it so much now. I liked hanging out there. The guys had become mates to a point—I was still their coach, but we managed to have a laugh from time to time—and I was taking to coaching like a duck to water.

  Despite the lingering problems Dad was causing and Juliette’s issues—I didn’t like calling them that, but there wasn’t another word to describe them—things were going smoothly for the first time in almost two years. Other than those bumps, it was a nice feeling.

  It was the first Sunday in a couple of weeks I’d had to spend on my own, so I was at a loss as to how to entertain myself. The idea I should go to this book expo thing Juliette was working at to surprise her flashed through my mind, but it was gone as soon as it appeared. She wouldn’t appreciate me showing up while she was so busy, and what did I know about books? I wasn’t even sure I’d be allowed in unless I was an industry person.

  Instead, I went to the only other place where I knew I could blow off some steam. Beat.

  I’d just pulled into my car space beside the studio when my phone started to ring. Picking it up from where I’d tossed it into the middle console, I saw it was my mother. Great. Just the thing I needed to pep me up on a Sunday morning‬ after the battle of the century. ‬‬‬‬

  Flipping the phone around in my hand, I answered the call.

  “Mum.” It came out short, and I knew I was going to get a verbal clip around the ear for my attitude.

  “Caleb,” she said. “Don’t talk to your mother that way. For goodness sake.” There is was.

  “Sorry, Mum, but I’m not entirely happy with you and Dad right now.”

  “You can’t blame your father for keeping your best interests at heart,” she declared. “I saw nothing wrong with his behavior.”

  I rolled my eyes. Only because they were in league with each other.

  “Mum, you both spoke to Juliette like she wasn’t good enough,” I said, narrowing my eyes. “You hardly know anything about her, and you ripped her life apart looking for reasons to dislike her.”

  “She’s twenty-eight and working in an entry-level position,” Mum replied straight off the bat. “What has she been doing all this time to still be at the bottom?”

  That was rich coming from a trophy wife who sat around drinking all day. Ashamed I was thinking about my mother like she was a complete joke, I rubbed my eyes.

  “People change careers all the time,” I argued. “It doesn’t mean they’re a failure.”

  “If you say so, honey.”

  “I do say so.” I’d done just that.

  She sighed. “So how did you two meet?”

  “She came into Beat for self-defense classes,” I replied. “I started training her one-on-one, and we got to know one another.”

  Mum sighed. “I suppose that explains it.”

  “What do you mean?” I frowned, not wanting to entertain her passive-aggressive mannerisms today, especially since I was still sore about last night’s fiasco.

  “She seemed very skittish, darling.”

  My grip tightened on my phone. “She’s had a rough couple of years.”

  “Really? That doesn’t sound good at all. What happened to her?”

  I hesitated. I didn’t know. I’d fallen for Juliette, and I still didn’t know. Should I be worried about it more than I was? I’d told her I would give her all the time she needed, but I was invested in this relationship now. Big time. Did I have a right to know about her past?

  “I’m not entirely sure,” I muttered.

  “You don’t know?” Mum asked, sounding scandalized. “Caleb, honey.”

  “That’s between us,” I replied, beginning to lose my temper. “Listen, Mom, I’ve gotta go. I’ll talk to you later, okay?”

  “All right, but be careful, darling.”

  I ended the call before I got into yet another full-blown argument. Be careful? Of what?

  Getting out of the car, I slammed the door closed behind me, unable to shake the feeling something wasn’t right. Damn them! I gathered this was what my parents were aiming for. The seed of doubt. They didn’t think Juliette was acceptable, so now they were manipulating the situation to get me to break up with her. It was so fucking high school.

  Grabbing my gym bag off the back seat, I locked up the car and strode into Beat, intending to train until I dropped. Anything to work out all this pent-up aggression.

  Then tomorrow, I would see Juliette and be reassured everything was okay.

  Because it was.

  23

  Juliette

  The expo had gone off without a hitch.

  Jade and the other department heads were currently patting themselves on the back for a job well done, but I was sitting at my desk, seething.

  I’d done all that work and missed meeting authors, agents, editors, and all kinds of industry people at the reception Saturday night‬. I’d missed it for Caleb, but his family… His father had offered me fifty thousand dollars to dump him. It was absurd and totally fucked up. There would be other book events, but there was only one Caleb Carmichael. ‬‬‬‬

  I’d skipped Monday training, telling him I was exhausted after the weekend. Tuesday came and went, and no word from him. I didn’t lift a finger to contact him, either, since my nerves were completely shot. I didn’t know if I should tell him about his father’s offer or even how to go about confiding my whole sordid story.

  Wednesday morning‬ dawned, and I went to work as usual, nowhere near closer to gathering the courage to come clean. Sitting at my desk, I lifted my can of energy drink to my lips and sipped absently, my mind askew. ‬‬‬‬

  I’d told Mr. Carmichael I loved his son. I loved Caleb.

  It was obvious now that I was thinking about it. How close we’d become in such a short amount of time, the little pieces I’d been able to tell him about my past, the way he made me feel when we were alone, my lack of inhibitions during sex. I was completely comfortable with him, and the shell I’d hidden in to protect myself from the world wasn’t there when he was with me. It all pointed to the one conclusion.

  I was in love with Caleb. I’d fallen completely for him and hadn’t even realized until it had come down to the wire.

  He made me see the possibilities I never knew existed for someone like me. He made me feel good about myself. I admired him, and he believed in me. I wanted him to be the first thing I saw when I woke up every morning. I just wanted to be with him. Always.

  I knew I had to tell him everything when I went to training. It was my last chance. I was standing on the precipice of a cliff. Either I would fall into darkness and break apart on the rocks below or Caleb would pull me back from the ledge and make me the happiest woman there ever
was. It was that simple. He would love me, or he would hate me.

  Jade was in a meeting, so I skipped out to lunch early.

  Outside, the weather had turned. The first signs of autumn were beginning to manifest, a few stray leaves turning among the greenery. I held my phone in my hand, intending to call Caleb to make sure we were still on for tonight when the unexpected happened.

  “Juliette.”

  My heart twisted as I recognized the sound of Vincent Carmichael’s stony voice. Turning, I saw him lingering on the footpath a few steps away. My gaze shifted to the sleek, black Mercedes Benz illegally parked in the taxi zone. Must be his.

  “Mr. Carmichael,” I said coolly, knowing he’d come to have another crack at me. There was no other reason why he would be standing out on this particular street and not sitting his bully ass in that fancy car.

  “I’ve come to further our discussion. If you please.” He gestured toward the Merc.

  I shook my head. “I gave you my answer.”

  “I believe you didn’t hear everything I had to say,” he said, his eyes narrowing in warning.

  A chill began to spread through my body, and I felt my resolve crumbling. Panic rose, warning me something was wrong. I didn’t want to get into that car, but what choice did I have? Caleb’s parents would meddle until they got what they wanted. Mr. Carmichael had threatened to have me forcibly removed, after all. What that entailed, I was sure I was about to find out all the gory details.

  “If you please, Juliette,” he said. “I’m not going to harm you.”

  How he knew to reassure me was beyond my knowledge, but I edged toward the car where the driver opened the rear passenger door for me. Mr. Carmichael slipped in from the other side, and just like that, we were alone. Watching the other man, I noticed he remained outside, leaning against the bonnet and lighting a cigarette. It was going to be a lengthy discussion then.

  “When you declined my offer, I was slightly impressed,” Mr. Carmichael began, watching me closely. “That’s how I knew I had to find out more about you. The woman who proclaims she loves my son.”