And while I did want to take her out on the town and do all the things that went with being in a relationship, I knew that there still could be media interest in our relationship that could cause a problem for her at work and also in her growing art career. So, I continued to see her in hotel rooms around the city, and even considered taking her out onto the family yacht.
I didn't like hiding anymore, because it made what we were doing seem sordid, when now, it wasn't. But until we sorted this all out, or her six months were up and she was not working for Strong Incorporated anymore, this was the way it would have to be.
The week was going well, as it had the week before when I was sitting at the desk re-reviewing the ad campaign heading to Europe. Andi walked into my office, shutting the door and coming up and tossing a magazine in front of me. "Have you seen this yet?"
"I don't even know what it is."
"It's the magazine with Natalie’s art profile in it."
I was already starting to fill with pride at what the magazine would say about the quality of her work and the future she had in the art world.
"Page sixty-seven," Andy said.
I turned to the page and began to read, but fairly quickly, I realized this wasn't a profile piece on Natalie's art. In fact, it didn't mention much of Natalie's art at all except for a sketch I’d never seen that she had of me in her apartment. Mostly, the piece focused on her relationship with the billionaire Hunter Strong. Along with the sketch, there were pictures of me and her coming and going from various hotels in the city. And like the gossip that had come out weeks ago, the article speculated that I was more than just a financial patron. I suggested that I was some rich man being taken for a ride by a young artist.
My eyes jerked up to Andi's. "What the fuck is this?"
She shrugged. "I don't know. But I thought you should see it."
"Why would she do this to me? Has everyone seen this? Am I the laughing stock of San Diego now?"
Andi flinched a little bit. "I don't know why you'd be the laughing stock. And I don't know who all knows about this."
I looked down at the article spread again. "She must've had somebody following us. She was using me the whole time to get what she wanted."
“Natalie’s not like that—”
I waved the magazine at her. “The hell she isn’t.” I had a profound sense of déjà vu. It turned out I’d been right the whole time. Women couldn't be trusted. And women wanted nothing to do with Hunter Strong. They only wanted my money and influence. And just like what happened to me before, I was going to cut my losses.
24
Natalie
I was shocked, but happy at Hunter’s change of heart. Not only did he want to continue to see me, but he seemed to want to see where things would go beyond a sexual relationship. Not that we were destined for a happily ever after because I knew that part hadn't changed for him, and of course I had my own goals I wanted to achieve.
In the past when we met, we were in bed or wherever we happened to be having sex within minutes of our arrival, but now we would have dinner or talk and even afterword we would talk some more. On occasion we'd even spend the night. Waking up in Hunter's arms was about as decadent as life could get.
While he had talked about the possibility of us going out in public and acting like a dating couple, in the end we both agreed that maybe that wasn't a good idea, particularly after the gossip that had come out about us. I still didn't want to be seen as a woman who was getting ahead because she was dating a billionaire. And Hunter didn't want to have his name in the gossip rags related to his dating life. In fact, he seemed to have a real phobia around being in the media at all. I was curious about where that came from, but I had never been brave enough to ask. Sure, we talked a lot about a variety of things, but still nothing that ever went too deep. In some ways I wish I could ask him about his deepest fears or biggest dreams, but even though he had let me in a little bit, the walls were still there. I didn't expect that I would ever be able to breach them, and that meant that while I was happy with where things were in our relationship, I needed to be careful because at some point it would end.
It was a week or so after Hunter revealed his interest continuing to see me, that I arrived at work ready to start the finishing touches on the artwork for the European campaign. An envelope was on my desk with my name on it, and curious, I opened it. I pulled out the magazine that interviewed me for a profile.
Giddiness bubbled up inside me. I knew for sure that this article would not just offset the salacious gossip that had come out a few weeks ago, but that it would completely put to rest the idea that the only reason I had a showing at the gallery was because I was banging Hunter. It would prove that I was a legitimate artist.
I searched the table of contents for my profile. Page sixty seven. I fanned the magazine until I came to the right page and then I laid it out flat on my desk reading the title Natalie Nichols Art Career Built on a Strong Foundation.
Eagerly I began to read, anticipating how she would've woven my words and art into the article. The first paragraph gave me pause. While it was complementary to my work, there was an underlying tone that suggested that I wasn't quite up to par in terms of being a viable artist.
As I read on it got worse and worse. The article became a cautionary tale about the influence of big money on art and suggested that my success was only because of Hunter. And like the gossip from several weeks ago, it hinted that the showing and the exposure of my art was more about Hunter indulging me than him discovering a new talent. The article even talked about some of the other artists that he'd helped launch that were better than me, and therefore implied that he made the decision to showcase my work simply because he and I were sleeping together.
Unable to read anymore, I looked at the pictures, hoping there would be examples of my work to prove that the writer was wrong, but most of the photographs were of me leaving or entering a hotel with Hunter. The only exception was the sketch that I had drawn of Hunter that had been in my studio the day the interviewer had come over. Instead of highlighting my skill, the sketch seemed to prove the interviewer's theory that all this was just Hunter indulging me and me using Hunter to get ahead.
I couldn't decide whether I wanted to scream or cry. I wanted to do both, but neither of them could escape. I just sat in numbness as I felt my career drift away from me.
Before I could do anything, my door burst open and Hunter flew when. His eyes were dark and filled with hatred. He tossed the magazine on my desk. "What the hell is this?"
I suppose I shouldn't have been surprised that he'd be angry. I was angry too. And I couldn’t be surprised that again he only thought about how this would impact him. What surprised me was that all that heat and anger was directed at me, like I had done this. Like this was my fault.
"I don't know what this is. This isn't the interview that I gave."
"Don't bullshit me, Natalie. Is this what you've been hoping for the whole time? You’ve been using me to further your career and to get access to the Strong money and name? To make a fool of me?"
In some ways I was glad that he was on the attack because it fueled my anger, and pushed my despair away. There would be time for me to weep over all this later. I wasn't going to do it here at work, and I certainly wasn't going to do it in front of Hunter Strong.
I stood from behind my desk and glared back at him. "The world doesn't revolve around you Hunter Strong. And you're an idiot if you think for a minute that I would give this type of interview. It completely dismisses my artwork and makes me look like a gold digger."
He put his hands on his hips, his intense eyes staring at me. "If the shoe fits, honey."
I wasn't a violent woman, but in that moment, I would've loved to have slapped Hunter. Not just because his words were so offensive, but because they hurt me so deeply. I could feel the tears coming to my eyes.
"You're a big baby. Do you really think this article is going to hurt you? If you are so against
having people think that you're a womanizing Lothario, maybe you should stop being a womanizing Lothario. Everyone knows you use your club as a way to prowl for women. Everybody knows that you are the king of the one-night stand. If you're looking foolish, it’s your own doing, not mine."
I didn't want to talk to him anymore. I didn't want to work anymore. I didn't want to do anything anymore. I grabbed my purse and walked past him toward the door. "I quit."
When I arrived home, I looked over at my art studio and for the first time in my life I didn't feel inspired to create. In fact, there was a part of me that wanted to have a temper tantrum and throw it all on the floor and stomp on it to get rid of it all. From now on if I ever felt the need to create again, it would just be for myself or maybe for Kellie. She had asked me for art for the new baby. But right now, I couldn't even bring myself to be inspired to work on that. There were still several months before the baby was due, and perhaps by then the desire to paint or create would come back again. Right now, the only thing I could do was go to bed.
I don't know how long I lay there before there was a knock on my door, I bolted out of bed and ran to the door, throwing it open, but was disappointed when Hunter wasn't standing on the other side, ready to grovel and take it all back. Instead, Kellie stood there and by the look on her face, I knew that she had read the article.
"Natalie." She stepped inside and wrapped her arms around me. One of the nice things about being close to my older sister was that she understood things without my having to tell her.
She held me for a long while and then finally pulled back putting her hands on both my shoulders giving me a gentle shake. "I know this feels like the end of the world now, but I promise you Natalie, you're going to overcome this. People will see that you are a talented artist. You can't let this stop you."
I looked down. "I don't even want to paint anymore."
She gave me another shake. "That's just all this craziness weighing on you. It'll come back you'll see." She guided me into the apartment and set me on the couch. "Can I get you some tea or something?"
"I guess tea would be nice."
Kellie went into the kitchen and I could hear her rummaging around in the cupboards. I hadn’t moved anything since she had married Ryan, so I knew she would find everything. I wondered how she was going to take it when I told her I'd quit the job she did so desperately wanted me to take.
She came back a few minutes later, handing me the tea and then sitting on the other end of the couch with her own tea, looking over at me with sympathetic eyes. "So, this thing with Hunter, —"
"It's done over. For real this time. Oh, and you should probably know that I quit too."
Kellie looked down at her tea mug swirling the teabag around. Then she looked up. "What was going on with you and Hunter?"
It was my turn to look away. "I guess it was like you and Ryan. Just the friends with benefits type of thing. Although maybe not friends. We just have this wild attraction that we thought we could get rid of, but we couldn't."
“Do you have feelings for him?"
Her words made me feel the crack in my heart more acutely. "Right now, my feelings toward him are anger. He blames me for this. He thinks I went out and did this to get him or get his money or something. I don't know. He is so selfish and self-centered. He only thinks of himself."
Kellie nodded, but she didn’t look like she completely agreed with me.
"This ruins my career. Why would I do that?"
Kellie gave me another sympathetic glance. "I think people like Hunter and his brothers worry that women are interested in them only for their money. So, they tend to keep their guard up.
"That's not me. I don’t give a crap about his money."
Kellie smiled. "Now it's not you. And I suspect Hunter will realize it."
"Whether he realizes it or not doesn’t matter. I'm done. I'm done at Strong Incorporated. I'm done dealing with him. And because of all this, I'm done as an artist."
Kellie reached out with her hand putting it over my arm and giving me a squeeze. "Don't give up on your career, Natalie. Like I said, things like this will blow over. Many people have bought your art and people will see it. They’ll see that you are legitimate."
I wanted to believe her, but I was pretty sure she was just saying words to make me feel better.
We hung out for a while and I thought she was getting ready to leave, when there was another knock on my door.
"I’ll get it," she said, getting up from the couch. She opened the door. "Andi?"
Andi came breezing into my apartment looking like she was ready to set the town on fire. "Come on girls, get dressed we're going out."
"You two go. Have fun." I said, getting up and taking my cold mug of tea into the kitchen.
"Oh no you don't. You and me and Kellie, we’re going out and we're having a good time."
"We should go," Kellie said to me. "Come have a girls’ night out. It will be fun. And if it isn't fun, it's not going to be any worse than sitting in here wallowing. We will forgive you for being a party pooper."
"You can't even drink," I said, pointing to Kellie's rounding belly."
"That doesn't mean I can't go out and enjoy the evening with you. Plus, you need a designated driver."
I suppose she was right. So, I headed back to my bedroom. "I want to take a quick shower,” I said.
"You do that and I'll pick your outfit," Andi said as she opened my closet and started pawing through my clothes.
Twenty minutes later, I was in an Aubergine-colored dress that was nearly one size too small, the way it was plastered to every inch of my skin from my torso down to my upper thigh. I had the dress in college, and clearly, I wasn’t as tiny anymore.
"You're gonna knock them dead kid," Andi said."
"Why are we doing this again?" I asked as I looked at myself in the mirror. Normally I would've felt fierce in a dress like this with my hair proofed up, and my makeup and jewelry done like I was going out on a night on the town. But right now, it just felt like cover up for the pathetic girl underneath.
"Because the only way to get over something like that stupid magazine article, is to go out in the world and to show them that you are a brave, don’t-give-a-shit, talented woman," Andi said.
Going along, I let them drag me to the car where they drove to Cesare’s.
"Why do we have to come here? There are plenty of other places we can go," I said. God, this was the last place I wanted to be.
"Because it's time that the Strong men understand that they can’t bully and be jerks to the woman around them," Andi said. “And we get free drinks.”
I sat in the car. "Some Strong men don't care."
"You, in that dress, honey, he’ll care. Now come on, even if he doesn't care, we can still have a good time," Andi said.
"More likely I'm going to see him finding his next piece of ass. That's not going to make me feel any better,” I grumbled.
"If he does that, we’ll all beat him up," Kellie said. She hesitated for a moment and looked over at Andi. "You know, maybe we should go somewhere else."
But when she said that, it made me feel like I was giving in, that I was giving too much power to Hunter. I opened the door. "Let's go in."
We walked inside the club and I did everything I could to hold my head up high. As we moved through the crowd, we found a table and sat down, ordering drinks. Andi and I each had a shot and then ordered a double alcohol cocktail, and within a few minutes I was beginning to feel loose. The music was loud, and I closed my eyes for a moment, letting the beat rock through my body.
"Would you like to dance?"
I opened my eyes and looked up into the face of a man. He was sporting a crooked smile that made me think he was also enjoying several shots and a double alcohol cocktail. His smile didn't look lecherous or cocky, he just looked like a guy who wanted to have a good time.
Since I was there to have a good time, I stood. "Sure."
I followed him to
the dance floor wondering if Hunter was around and would see me having a good time? The petty part of me hoped that he would see me and it would make him crazy to think that another man was taking an interest in me, or that maybe I was taking an interest in him. Of course, that could backfire on me as well. With my luck, he'd be relieved to see me with another man, and I’d end up watching him take another woman to the VIP room.
25
Hunter
There was a saying about best laid plans going awry. As I looked through the security feed, my plans to escape from Natalie went up in flames. She walked into my club looking sexy as sin. What was her game? Did she think that painted on dress would make me change my mind about us?
I heard the door to the security room open behind me and expected it to be Chuck returning from a break, but when I turned to look, it was Noah. He strode up next to me looking at the security feed. He pointed to where Natalie and her sister, Kellie and my grandmother's assistant Andi, had taken a seat at a table.
"Did you know this was going on?" Noah asked.
I shook my head. "No."
"What is Andi doing here anyway?"
I turned to look at my brother, wondering why he cared whether Andi was here are not. "Look at that fucker flirting with her."
I studied him for a moment wondering if perhaps he had a thing for Andi. I had half a mind to tell him to not bother. Women brought more pain and suffering than they were worth.
"Andi is a tough cookie. I think she can handle herself. Why do you care anyway?"
Noah flinched slightly. "I don't care. It’s just weird."
I turned my attention back to the screen, deciding whatever was going on with Noah and Andi wasn't any of my business, especially if he didn't want to tell me about it.
Giving In To Love: A Friends with Benefits Office Romance (Strong Brothers Book 2) Page 15