by Ward, H. M.
“Ah, so tonight is to butter him up? Or do we want to smack him over the head with a frying pan and toss him into the fire? Just tell me what you need and I’m there.” I’m half serious, half kidding. I glance up at Henry after smoothing my skirt. For some reason I think it’ll help me breathe, even though it doesn’t.
There’s an easy way about Henry, like he knows how to handle himself most of the time. “You’d whack him for me?” Henry looks up front and asks Gabe, “Did I call the wrong number? Did you people set me up with an escort or a femme fatal?”
“Miss Stanz is not authorized to whack anyone,” Gabe says flatly. He doesn’t look at us.
“Ah, well, that’s brilliant.” Henry’s voice catches and I hear a wisp of an accent.
“Where are you from?”
“Oxford, originally—England.”
I smile at him, at the way he seems certain and uncertain at the same time. It’s kind of endearing. “You mean that big island across the pond? Yeah, I know it.”
“You’ve been?” he asks, interest flashing across his face.
“Once, yes. I got to hear the Beatles sing, and eat fish and chips next to Twinning’s Teashop...” I don’t mean to tease him, so I’m not sure why I am. Henry looks confused. “At Epcot.” I feel bad two seconds after I say it. “I’m sorry. I’m just kidding. I’m a little nervous.”
“Could have fooled me, and a little humor never killed anyone.” He winks at me and adds, “Besides, life’s too damn short to be dull. Just don’t offend Patent Boy and you’ll be bloody brilliant tonight. That dress alone is enough to distract him. Listen, at the end of the night, if the man is still foolish enough to withhold his plans, I want you to dance with him and see if you can get him to talk.”
I nod slowly. “So, I’m posing as your date—”
“My fiancé.”
“Your fiancé,” I repeat, and add, “And I’m here to help keep things from turning adversarial, and if all else fails, you want me to try and butter him up?”
“Exactly, love. A good night would be conversation, food, and a deal for that gizmo of his. A bad night would end with Patent Boy running off the way he usually does when things don’t go his way. That’s where you come in. You just keep him from leaving—apologize for me being ass, and that kind of thing. It’s all a game anyway. The man is as aware of that fact as I am.”
The car turns a corner and I see the restaurant. “So, keep him there, help him mellow out, and that kind of thing?” Henry nods. “Can I ask you something?”
“Sure, why not.”
“Why’d you hire me to do this?” I ask. “It seems like the kind of thing that a friend could have done.”
“Maybe,” Henry replies, studying my face. I don’t feel like his possession. Call girls and escorts don’t seem to be his normal kind of thing. “But this way, I am sure to stack the odds in my favor. I heard the man favors New York women, beautiful brunettes, stacked with curves, and a bit of a sassy lip. I think I hit the jackpot. I’ve never been so glad I called for a girl in my entire life. With any bit of luck, I’ll walk out with the deal tonight, and you—my lovely date— will be rewarded.”
My heart is pounding and I don’t know why. When the car stops, I feel a chill slink down my spine. Glancing at Henry, I ignore the premonition. He’s so excited and my job sounds so easy—flirt with the patent man a little bit and make this more of a social gathering. That, I can do.
Henry steps out of the car and I follow. He leans in and whispers in my ear, “I’m serious about the reward. Help me win this guy over and I’ll triple your fee.”
Smiling at him, I say, “Sounds perfect. Lead the way Mr. Thomas, love of my life.”
I’m smiling now. I can’t help it. The past week has been so goddamn awful and tonight feels promising. This is something I can totally do and Mel was right about it feeling like a date. This guy has an agenda and needed someone to help him make it happen. I feel perfectly comfortable and take his arm.
Henry kisses me on the cheek. “For good luck.”
“Come on, let’s get you nailed—I mean, nail that contract.” Henry’s laughing and so am I.
It feels comfortable, familiar, even though I have no idea who he is. Henry could be some serial killer with really good manners and a sexy accent for all I know.
Gabe comes inside. He’s a few steps behind us and passes by to sit at the bar. I’m under observation tonight, but it doesn’t make me nervous, not anymore. Now that I know exactly what I have to do, I intend to do it.
Henry walks to the podium at the font of the restaurant. He walks by several people that are waiting and nods at the host. The slim man is older with silvery hair slicked back and big black bushy eyebrows. The permanent scowl on his face is intimidating. It makes me wonder how old patent man is and if I can convincingly flirt with him. The aroma of fine food and yeasty bread fills my head. Blue flames are dancing in a fireplace that extends down an entire wall of the restaurant. It’s an amazing thing to see.
Henry smiles at me. I can tell that nervous flitters are racing through him. After a few moments, a waiter comes over and offers to escort us to our table. I follow along with Henry, my hand wrapped around his arm. Eyes fall on me as we move through the restaurant, but I’m not looking at them. Something in front of me has my full attention. My heart pounds violently in my chest, like it wants to pry apart my bones and crawl out.
Glancing around the waiter, I see a man sitting alone at a large table. His eyes are lowered and his head is tipped downward, like he’s reading something on the table. Dark messy hair conceals his face, but I know that hair. I know those shoulders and those cheeks covered in light stubble. This can’t be happening, runs nonstop through my mind. But it is happening and there’s no way to stop it. It’s like watching a train wreck. You see the two forces speeding toward each other, and they’re on a collision course. I swallow hard, trying to keep my pleasant face intact when we stop in front of the table.
Henry steps around the waiter and extends his hand, “Mr. Ferro, good to see you again. When I heard you were delayed in New York, I couldn’t believe my luck.”
Sean’s eyes lift slowly. He has amber liquid in a crystal glass, no ice. When his gaze falls on Henry Thomas, he seems all right, but when his eyes shift to me—awh, fuck. It’s everything I can manage to stand there and act like nothing is wrong. I’m fucked; like totally, miserably fucked. There’s no way tonight is going to turn out well. There is no way that Sean is going to act like he doesn’t know me. I told him to screw off the other day at the beach.
I hate Sean in that moment. I want to scream and yell, but I don’t. I can’t. I stand there with my plastic expression, pulled into a fake smile. Every ounce of dread that flows through my body is hidden by that grin, but it’s so fake that it wants to crack like a piece of dried out plastic.
The final straw falling. This will be the end of me. I’ll find out what Miss Black intends to do about my debt. I’ll find out what Gabe meant in the car earlier. There’s no way back, not now—not ever.
Sean stands and extends his hand to Henry and I. “Sit, please make yourselves comfortable. I took the liberty of ordering desserts since the chocolate soufflé here is worth crossing the pond for, is it not?” Sean smiles broadly at Henry.
They chatter more and we are all seated around the little table. A single candle flickers calmly in the center. My eyes fixate on the tiny flame. I wonder if I could knock the thing over and make it look like an accident. Then, I’d need to run to Schenectady and change my name to Mary Higgins or something.
Damn it. What do I do? Why hasn’t Sean said anything? My stomach twists tighter and tighter until I feel like I’ve been turned inside out.
I realize I zoned out and didn’t hear half of what they said. Henry is gently touching the top of my hand. “Sweetheart, Mr. Ferro asked you a question.”
I blink and my attention snaps to the hand touching mine, then up to Henry’s face. I can’t look at Sea
n. I can’t. “I’m sorry. It’s rather warm in here.” I take a breath and let it out slowly. It would help if I could actually inhale, but I can’t. The dress is so damn tight.
“Please, call me Sean.” Sean is leaning back in his seat. He looks stunning. The stubble on his cheeks is perfect. His hair has that naturally messy look that I find so appealing, but it’s his sapphire eyes that undo me. As soon as I glance up, I regret it, but I can’t ignore him any longer. For some reason, Sean hasn’t ratted me out—not yet. “And, it is rather stifling in here, Ms. Stanz. There’s a balcony around back that overlooks the park. You could walk the terrace and catch your breath, if you need a moment.” Sean holds my gaze as he says it. Each word feels like a nail in my throat. I’m transfixed by his voice, lost in his gaze.
I shake the sensations shooting through me away. “I’m all right, although it sounds lovely.” I smile at him and find my footing again. I’m worried about him blowing my cover, but I’m not doing a half-assed job and spending the whole night worrying about it. Today’s the day that I’ll have no regrets. I’ll do the best I can and that’s all I can hope for.
Henry and Sean order the food. I have no idea how to read the menu, since it’s not in English. I’ve never felt so stupid in my life. Henry leans in when the first plate is brought out and whispers in my ear, “It’s squid and snails in a wine reduction. Try it.”
I’m not really a seafood person. Are snails considered seafood? They crawl around in fish tanks, so maybe. Either way, I don’t like the booger texture when it comes to food that lives in the ocean.
I smile hard and pick up one of the forks. I think it’s the right one, but I’m not really sure. There’s a thingy on my napkin to hold the snail shell, kind of like pliers. Briefly, I examine them and wonder who makes these things? They’re pliers for rich people who like eating slugs in fancy restaurants. Who else would buy them? I poke my fork at the snail.
Sean watches me. The corners of his mouth twitch, like he’s amused. “Do you always eat escargot with your salad fork?”
My brows crept up my face at some point, as I tried to figure out what to do with these things. I watch Henry, and pause. That’s when Sean speaks. It’s obvious that I’ve never had them.
I smile confidently and try to grab the little beast. “Yes, I find it’s easier to rip that sucker out of his shell. Plus salad is for pussies, so no harm using the fork now and letting the waiters carry it away. Am I right?” I pull the snail out of the shell as I’m speaking and pop it in my mouth like it’s a French fry, but the texture throws me off. I make a face and nearly choke.
Henry’s eyes are about to fall out of his head. He’s lifted his glass of wine to his lips and has a horrified look on his face, but Sean laughs. It kills me to hear that sound, but I know what I’m doing with him. I know how to make Sean loosen up and how to make him clam up. I need Sean to feel happy for a little bit, to make this deal with Henry, so I can get the hell away before my life gets any harder.
Dinner progresses and Henry finally relaxes again. He speaks to Sean about anything and everything. We’re nearly through with meal and no one has mentioned the contract yet, or the thingy that Sean is selling and that Henry wants to buy. The waiter sets down a hot drink in a tiny cup. I glance at the array of spoons that I have left on the table. Henry continues to speak about something that’s so dull that it should be called matte.
Sean taps the little spoon next to the place setting. I smile at him and use it to stir the little cream-colored B into the hot liquid. That’s when Sean’s mood shifts. Suddenly, he’s all business. “I know why you wanted to meet with me Henry, and I can tell you right now that there’s no way it’s going to happen.”
Henry’s face goes slack. “Surely you can’t mean that. We haven’t even discussed what Project 597 could do for us, for you. It’s not just the sale of the patent—it’s bigger than that.” Henry’s voice is too tense.
Sean doesn’t react well to tension. I sip my hot liquid, but it’s so sweet that my lips buckle. Sean’s eyes flick up in time to see my face. He forgets himself and smirks. “Not to your liking Ms. Stanz?”
“No, it’s fine. Perfect.” I return his smirk, but Sean just stares at me. Henry sees it, notices the intensity of his gaze, but says nothing.
“Tell me, Ms. Stanz, do you intend to take Henry’s name after the wedding?” The look on Sean’s face chokes me. It’s as if he reached across the table and wrapped his fingers around my neck. My heart stops. I fall on the floor and die. At least that’s what I hope for.
All night Sean’s acted like he wasn’t going to out me, like he wasn’t going to say it, but now I see it in his eyes. This is the segue—the flourish before the grand reveal. Sean knows that Henry hired me, that Henry intended to play him.
I feel my face flush. My eyes drop. My mouth gapes open, but I don’t breathe. I can’t. The air feels thick, and I know one little breath will make me choke. Placing my sweaty palms on the table, I stand up. “Please excuse me for a moment, gentlemen.”
I walk away without explanation.
I float across the floor of the dining room. The voices surrounding me flutter away so that I don’t hear anything but a dull buzz of noise. Too many thoughts rush through my mind and I find myself wanting to run. The muscles in my legs twitch, like I’m going to die if I don’t. Nerves won’t release their hold on me. I feel Gabe’s eyes on my back as I walk toward the ladies room, the only place that no one will follow. I need a plan. I need to fix this unfixable mess.
Maybe I should just crawl out the bathroom window. I touch my hand to my forehead and breathe in. Awh, superfuck. What do I do? I can’t stay here and wait for the other shoe to drop. I can’t sit there and watch. The magnitude of this is unimaginable. Everything hinges on tonight.
I can’t think.
I reach the ladies room and walk inside. There is no one else here. The room is dark and swankly decorated. It has a powder room feel with little Victorian looking tuffets to sit on and your apply make-up. I step around the fluffy seat and stand in front of the sink. Placing my hands on the cold granite counter, I look up into the mirror and shiver.
I don’t know what to do. I don’t know how to get out of this. Squeezing my eyes together hard, I blink. Why can’t I think? In the moments that really matter, my brain seems to vacate my body, and I’m stuck with this surreal feeling like life is moving in slow motion. I inhale, closing my eyes as I do it. I have to calm down. I have to get a grip on this, either that or run like hell.
When I open my eyes I nearly jump out of my skin. I lift my chin and look up into the mirror expecting to see only my face, but someone else is there—Sean. I never even heard him come in. I grab my heart like it’s going to explode.
I want to scream at him. I’m unraveling. I feel the strands popping one by one. Fury rises to the surface and I can’t hold it back. Too much has happened between us, too many good things and too many bad things. I round on him. Sean is two steps behind me. I practically jump on him and slam my fists into his chest. I hate my reaction, but I can’t stop it.
I speak with a voice that isn’t mine. It hisses from between my teeth with too much venom, too much hatred. “Why can’t you leave me alone? You’re ruining my life, you sick bastard! You think this is funny? You think that you can just have me and play with my mind, like I don’t fucking matter? Well, it’s not going to happen—not again you arrogant prick—so walk away and leave me the hell alone.”
My fingers are stretched wide as rage races through my veins. I shove Sean again, but he barely moves. It feels like my heart’s become a black hole and my entire body is being crushed and sucked into the massive force. My chest aches, it literally aches to have him so close.
Instead of leaving, Sean grabs my wrists so I stop hitting him. Fury makes my body tremble. It’s like the hissy fit he just witnessed was the smoke before the real eruption. Sean’s cool eyes sweep over my face. His grip on my arms loosens. I pull back, but my muscles won
’t stop twitching.
Sean’s lips part like he’s going to say something, but the words won’t leave his mouth. He breathes strangely, like I punched him in the gut and he looks at me with those liquid blue eyes. Somehow he makes me feel sorry for defending myself, for telling him off.
Screw this. I am not so fucked up that I’m going to feel sorry for this. I turn to leave and walk quickly for the door. Without looking back, I say over my shoulder, “Do whatever the hell you want. You’re good at that.” My hand is on the cold doorknob when he speaks.
“Avery, I have no intention of telling him anything. I simply meant to—”
I stop. My fingers practically strangle the doorknob. I cut him off, not giving him a chance to fully state anything. “I don’t care.”
“I need to tell you something, but every time I approach you—”
“I still don’t care,” I say back. The words come from within the hollowness. I feel them rattle through me before they spill out of my mouth. “I don’t care about anything you have to say and I don’t care about you. I hate you. I hate what you’ve done to me.” My eyes narrow to slits and I turn around.
Suddenly, I’m in his face saying the things I wish I’d said the night he sent me away. “I hate that you’re so damn callous. I gave you my heart and you fucking returned me. Nothing you can say will ever fix that. I have no interest in what makes you tick, or why you followed me in here. You can go to hell.”
Sean reaches into his lapel and pulls out an envelope. It’s thick, like it has lots of paper inside. “This isn’t mine.”
I stare at him and his envelope of cash. I hope he knows every thought that races through my mind. I hope he knows how much he hurt me and how much I wish I’d never met him. I feel my lips move and words start to pour out. “Oh, it’s yours all right. Don’t you know how returns work? You get your money back. You got me for free—”