Protecting Lulu (Global Protection Agency)

by Jeffries, J. M.

  Lulu laughed. “What was Uncle Hiram’s secret?”

  Aunt Julia smiled. “I suppose you’re old enough to know. The negatives have been destroyed.”

  “Negatives?” Lulu leaned forward.

  “Darling,” Aunt Julia said to Ian, “fix me another mimosa.”

  Ian obediently did so and handed the glass to Aunt Julia. Julia took a long sip of the mimosa, took a deep breath and said, “Uncle Hiram was an adult baby.”

  Noah had no idea what that was. He glanced at Dante who looked as confused as Noah felt. Noah looked at Gideon whose mouth had fallen open. Ian burst out, “Bloody hell.”

  “What’s an adult baby?” Harrison asked.

  Julia set her glass down. “Let me preface this by saying that Hiram’s mother, Marcia was a Dayton. God knows their pedigree goes back to Adam and Eve, but there’s a lot of inbreeding here. Most of the Daytons had some strange … predilections.” She paused a moment and took another deep breath. “An adult baby is a grown person who likes to dress up in diapers and rubber pants and pretend to be a baby. He had a whole room in his house that was an adult sized nursery with adult-sized stroller, crib and bottles devoted to his hobby.”

  Noah almost laughed at the look of astonishment on Lulu’s face.

  “Oh my God,” Lulu said.

  “You’re kidding?” Wilder exclaimed.

  “Until about a year ago, I had the photographs to prove it.” Julia picked up her glass and drank almost half the mimosa. “When he threatened to besmirch my character, as though I hadn’t already done enough myself, I simply produced the photographs and said they would make a tasty addition to the front page of the National Enquirer. I told him I’d write him a check if he went away.”

  “We own a newspaper,” Wilder said. “Why give a scoop to a competitor?”

  “I wanted him to seem legitimately smarmy. The next day he dropped the suit, cashed the check, and left for Thailand leaving you two and the company in my hands. He spent the next five years in diapers on some distant estate in the jungle never to be heard from again until his death. The price I had to pay to clean up that house.” She rolled her eyes. “But it was worth every penny. I got the two of you.”

  “Aunt Julia, how do I politely say, that you have balls of steel,” Lulu asked.

  “Your father and mother gave me custody because he knew I would rise to the occasion,” Julia said with a satisfied smile. “The day your parents died was the day I had to be a grown-up.”

  “And you did so with grace, style, and dramatic flair,” Wilder replied.

  Julia simply smiled. “Hiram really didn’t want you. I always suspected it was Marcia who wanted control of you and your money. All your uncle wanted to do was sail his yacht, drink champagne and wear diapers. He probably would have stuck the two of you somewhere until his mother sucked the company dry.”

  Noah paged through his iPad until he found the data on Marcia Bennington. Her photo showed her to be a proud looking woman with ice blue eyes and hair a carefully cut bob that framed her almost unlined face. Whoever her plastic surgeon was, he was good. None of that slant eyed look that shouted facelift. She barely looked fifty, much less seventy-eight. “You don’t sound like you like her too much.”

  Even Lulu shuddered.

  Julia shrugged. “It’s really hard to love a block of ice. I should be more sympathetic, poor Marcia was forced to marry beneath her.”

  “I beg your pardon,” Lulu said. “Forced to marry a Bennington?”

  Noah scanned his file on Marcia Dayton’s family. The Daytons were listed with the robber barons back in the 1880s. They controlled the docks, and then expanded into the railroad and trucking industry.

  Julia waved her hand. “No one speaks of it anymore, but the Dayton’s considered our money to ne ‘new.’ That is until Marcia had to marry someone to keep the family afloat. She had aspirations of becoming European nobility, but then her father lost all the money in some ill-advised deal and she had to lower her expectations. A feeling she never kept to herself. I was surprised the marriage lasted as long as it did. The divorce must have devastated the entire family. My father gave her twenty million dollars to get rid of her. Back then, that was the mother lode, but she managed to squander most of it. I’m the first one to say I live extravagantly, but I’ve never lived beyond my means.”

  Noah wasn’t quite sure what to say. He couldn’t even imagine having that much money, much less blowing it. He did not get this world.

  “Say whatever you will about Marcia,” Julia said, “she still adored Hiram. Had he ever had children, she would have been a doting grandmother.”

  “You’re being overly generous, Aunt Julia,” Wilder said.

  “I can afford to be. I don’t hate Marcia and I never hated Hiram.” Julia sipped her mimosa. “Hiram loved the sea. He won several trophies for the United States yachting team and was instrumental in keeping the U.S. as a power in the sport. People in yachting circles still talk about him with reverence.”

  Lulu looked at her watch. “I would love to stay here and chat more, but I have a photo shoot this evening and I need to get ready.” She stood and set her glass on the sideboard.

  “On a Sunday!” Aunt Julia said.

  “It Salvatore Feria. This is the only time he could be in town and we could get Times Square. I love working with him. He’s shooting me for the cover of the September issue. I’ll look fabulous.”

  Everyone stood with Lulu preparing for their own departures back to the city.

  “Mr. Callahan,” Julia motioned him over. “May I speak with you for a moment?” She patted the empty chair next to her.

  Noah eyed her suspiciously. From what he’d seen of her, Julia didn’t do anything without a reason. He sat down cautiously.

  “You are an interesting looking man.” Julia gave him a sly smile.

  Damn he was in trouble. “I am?”

  She pursed her lips. “A little rough around the edges, but that works for you.”

  “Thank you,” Noah said.

  “May I call you Noah?”

  “Of course you can, Ms. Bennington.”

  She tsked at him. “Call me Julia. Everybody does.”

  Noah tried not to fidget. He forced himself to sit still and wait for whatever Julia had on her mind.

  She fussed with the drape of her dress for a moment. She leaned toward him, her voice just above a whisper. “How are things progressing between you and my niece?”

  Oh hell no, he wasn’t going there. “We’ve been whittling down our suspects and checking all the leads we have. We’re not making as much progress as I would like.”

  “I can tell you are a man who gives your all for everything. I trust you are doing everything you possibly can to protect Lulu.”

  “Yes, ma’am, er…Julia.”

  She nodded. “How are things on a personal level?”

  A couple of lip locks and everyone had them walking down the aisle toward happily ever after. For one intriguing moment, he’d been unprofessional and was determined not to lose control again.

  “You’re not her type,” Julia continued, riding right over his silence. “But I can see why she is fascinated with you.” She put a hand on his knee.

  Noah stared down at her hand, forcing himself to remain perfectly still.

  “I know if you were a few years younger, I’d be giving my niece a run for her money.”

  He had dealt with forward women in his life. He liked a woman who laid out all the rules right up front, but this was just weird. Potentially, Julia was a mother figure to Lulu and she was giving him permission to knock boots with her. Who the hell was this woman?

  “Thank you. I enjoyed the weekend.” He stood and her hand dropped away. He tried to walk nonchalantly to the door with all the dignity he could muster, but he hurried the last few steps. Outside he almost barreled into Ian who was walking toward the foyer with a suitcase in one hand and tan coat over his arm.

  “I just had the stran
gest conversation with Julia Bennington,” Noah said still confused and wondering if he’d really heard her say what she’d said.

  “About?” Ian coaxed looking interested.

  “She just gave me permission to have my way with her niece.”

  “Under those circumstances, could you hurry it up? I have you down for Wednesday of this week.”

  “Wednesday for what?”

  “For you and Lulu to have sex. I’m still smarting over the loss of all the money on the first kiss, so could you oblige me?”

  Noah stared at Ian. “Are you all nuts?” His personal life was his personal life and why the hell was he the center of some betting pool?

  Ian patted him on the shoulder and continued down the hall. Noah hurried up the stairs to his bedroom, determined to finish his packing before someone else asked him to sleep with Lulu so he could win the bet.

  In his bedroom, Noah lifted his suitcase onto the bed and then suddenly sat down on the mattress and stared out the window at the gray, overcast day. His bedroom overlooked a large greenhouse. Beyond the greenhouse a cluster of pine trees huddled as the first vanguard of the surrounding forest.

  The bedroom Julia had assigned him was a simple room with large elegant, old world furniture, a small sitting area flanking the window, and an attached bathroom that was almost as large as his living room at his rent-controlled apartment in the East Village. Hell, the bedroom itself was almost as large as his bedroom, kitchen and dining room put together. The leather chairs, the massive dresser and king sized bed were as simple as they were stylish.

  He thought about Lulu and the life she must have lived in this house. He imagined her running loose in the forest, swimming on the private beach, yachting on the bay. How different his life had been and yet how similar. They had both had similar tragedies. Her parents’ deaths had affected her as much as his parents’ deaths had affected him.

  Under all the bravado, self-confidence, and moxie, he sensed she was still a lost little girl. He had watched her face while Julia had talked about Hiram and his mother. Especially when Julia had commented on how Hiram’s mother had adored him. Lulu had looked sad. He’d wanted to comfort her, though he knew she’d just shrug him off. To the world, she wanted to show how strong, confident and well-adjusted she was. But inside, she was still lost, still hurting over the loss of her parents. Lulu had a toughness about her that masked her softness. Noah wanted to protect her. He wanted to wrap her up in cotton and keep her safe. Which was why he couldn’t become involved with her. He couldn’t let the ugliness of his life touch her. As much as he wanted her, he needed to keep his distance.

  He pushed himself to his feet. He could hear footsteps in the hall outside his door. People were leaving and he needed to be ready for Lulu. The night photo shoot was going to be a nightmare.

  Times Square was alight. Besides the production lights that illuminated the area around Lulu, theater marquees added to the brightness. Aiden stood under a heater, phone in hand watching Lulu as she pranced about in a beautiful winter white coat that swirled around her long legs. She was showing off for Noah even though Noah wasn’t looking at her, his eyes wandering over every building.

  Mark stood next to Aiden, a cup of coffee in hand, steam rising to warm his face.

  “My girl is putting on the sexy tonight,” Aiden said as he tweeted. His followers drooled over every little tidbit he tweeted about Lulu. He snapped a photo and uploaded it.

  Lulu posed several different ways. Wind ruffled her hair and flung it over her face. She brushed it away as the photographer snapped photo after photo of her. He called a halt and Lulu stopped posing.

  “This is really dull stuff,” Mark looked bored. He sipped his coffee..

  “This is dull stuff that’s going to make a lot of money.”

  “I don’t get the whole fashion thing. Yeah, she looks good, but it’s not as exciting as adding new spyware to my computer.”

  Aiden studied Mark. “How un-gay of you?” Maybe he shouldn’t complain, they wouldn’t be competing against each other. Aiden was going to be the pretty one in this relationship.

  Mark’s eyes widened in amusement. “I’m gay enough to like you.”

  “Okay, I’ll give you that one,” Aiden said as he went back to tweeting.

  Mark finished his coffee and tossed the empty cup into a trash bin. He pulled his iPad out of his messenger bag and leaned closer to the heater.

  “What are you doing?” Aiden asked.

  “Jake O’Malley has no alibi for the time of the near hit and run.” Mark said.

  “What did he say?”

  “He said he was home during the car incident,” Mark said.

  Aiden frowned. “That man is never home.”

  “How can you be sure?”

  “Because he’s always on the run from this premiere to another from Los Angeles to New York. If he was home reading a book I’d eat my hat.”

  “Then let’s see if we can find him. He doesn’t look like the cash type.”

  “How are you going to find out where he really was?” Aiden asked looking over Mark’s shoulder.

  “Hack into his financial records. That’s lo-jack for rich people.”

  Aiden thought for a second. “Isn’t that illegal?”

  “Who are you going to tell? Since I just told you what I’m doing, you’re now an accessory.”

  “Not if I walk over to that policeman over there and tell him what you’re doing.”

  “Are you?” Mark challenged.

  Aiden shook his head. Mark thrilled him in a way other in his life had. He wouldn’t rat out anything for Mark no matter how illegal. But he wasn’t going to tell Mark that. “If you wanted to know what Jake O’Malley was doing, you should have asked me. I could have asked his personal assistant. Terry and I are like this,” Aiden held up two fingers close together.

  “Terry might not lie to you, but what makes you think Jake tells Terry the truth?” Mark’s fingers practically danced over his iPad.

  “Personal assistants have to keep track of their people. We make their appointments and make sure they are where they need to be, dressed properly, and on time. It’s our job to know where our people are twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week.”

  “That sounds like way more work than I ever want to do.”

  “Most PAs are worth every penny they make and in some cases don’t make. Lulu treats me with respect and dignity. She pays me in a year more than most PAs make in a decade. Why don’t I give Terry a call and see what he can tell us?”

  “No,” Mark said, “I don’t want O’Malley knowing we’re investigating him anymore. I’ll do it my way.”

  “You’re not going to be able to get into his phone records, because people in his position surround themselves with layers of security. Especially after the ScarJo incident. Everybody is super paranoid.”

  Mark just grinned. “You don’t understand. I accepted fifteen contracts to work on security after the ScarJo incident. Trust me, I can break into anything because I wrote the software.”

  Aiden felt a thrill. He and Mark made a good team. Mark did his high-tech and Aiden found his information the old school way.

  Lulu left her trailer. She had changed her coat for a black evening gown and a matching shawl. While she waited for the photographer to set up for the next set of shots, she chatted with the crowd pushing against the barricades and signed autographs. Aiden gazed at her fondly.

  Noah stood on the sidewalk, his gaze flicking back and forth from her to the building beyond. He kept away from the lights that would blind him. Aiden knew Noah had guards everywhere.

  “Bingo,” Mark suddenly said.

  Aiden brought his attention back. “What’s a bingo?”

  Mark showed Aiden the iPad pointing to an entry. “Jake O’Malley appears to have spent the weekend at the Waldorf.”

  “That doesn’t mean anything. He would come and go, though staying at the Waldorf isn’t particularly suspicious.”
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  “It is when the accident happened less than two blocks from the Waldorf,” Mark added. He read down the entries, his eyes scanning quickly. “He also charged $30,000 to a company called LBD Entertainment. I need to find out what that is.”

  “LBD Entertainment is a front for prostitution.” Aiden said.

  “30 K worth of hookers? Damn I’m kinda impressed.”

  “They’re high-end escorts.”

  Mark stared at him. “How do you know this?”

  “Lulu sells a lot of her clothes for charity. They buy a ton of Lulu’s dresses every year and I got curious to know why. So I did some research and discovered what the company is all about. They employ plus size women as escorts.”

  “What did Lulu say?” Mark asked his eyes wide with surprise.

  “I kinda kept that tidbit on the down low. She’d want them on her show.”

  “You look a little pleased with yourself,” Mark said.

  “I knew it.” Aiden said with a little up and down jump on the balls of his feet. “I knew it. I knew it. TCB is his beard. I knew he had a big thing for Lulu and he’s only going out with the TCB for the photo op. I’m glad Lulu doesn’t want him back.” If she took Jake back, Aiden would quit. For real this time.

  “I’m not following you, Aiden,” Mark said, looking confused.

  “Jake O’Malley is a chubby chaser, that’s why he took up with Lulu. He only dropped her because his agent made him and he has no spine.” Aiden paused to look at Mark. Mark wasn’t his typical date. His friends would take one look at Mark with this tattoos and leathers and wonder what kind of man Mark was. No one in Aiden’s circle of friends would ever look at someone like Mark, yet Aiden realized he’d been dating guys for the photo-op, too. No wonder he was alone after all this time. Mark was a man who was brilliant and funny, kind and tender. Mark wasn’t a pretty boy and wouldn’t fit into Aiden’s world. Yet, Aiden wanted to know him better, to spend time with him and go with what he was feeling. Maybe what he needed to do was change his world.