Power & Choice

by Lucy Smoke

  I stared down at my glass of champagne and, remembering how sore my muscles had been after the "extra training" Knix had ordered, I lightly handed it off to someone else, hoping Natalia, Isador, and Delilah didn't notice.

  "Me too," one of the other girls, whose name I didn't know, said with a groan, responding to Isador's relief. "He's old and a stick in the mud."

  "You're just mad that you can't bat your eyes at him and get whatever you want like you do with your daddy, Lindsey," Delilah snapped. The girl in question wore an expensive, floral, wrap dress with nude heels with red bottoms. She rolled her eyes at Delilah and drank more champagne.

  It didn't take long for us to reach Pineville. Apparently, other than the larger cities, the majority of upper New York was a hunter and fisher's paradise. Pineville was quaint but sequestered. Though it was upscale, which was obvious in the whitewashed buildings and classically antique little houses here and there, it was still quite small. The limos pulled up at the end of the main street – the street with the most shops and businesses – and everyone got out. Several of the girls from our limo teetered on their heels including Isador and the other girl, Lindsey, both of whom were obviously already tipsy.

  My gaze shot to Mr. Wallace as he stepped out of his limo. His hard eyes and enigmatic face were stone cold. Delilah gripped my hand and tugged me after her. I was starting to feel very thankful that she had taken me under her wing when I arrived. Having a friend was good for blending in, yes, but really, sometimes, I needed someone who was much more knowledgeable about all of this stuff than I was.

  "Come on," she called behind her, "they get free time first, we're heading to the shop first to get fitted."

  "Hi Angel," Delilah said with a bright smile as we entered through the tinkling glass front door. The shop was a small boutique with an elegant African American woman at the counter. The place smelled like coconut and lavender and I loved it the moment I inhaled. There were fabrics on every wall, tapestries bearing obviously hand-woven scenes.

  "Good to see you again, Dee," the young woman – Angel – said. "Who's this?" She graced me with a smile that seemed to shine right out of her face.

  "This is Harley," Delilah introduced. I blinked, confused for a moment, then nearly stumbled over myself to offer my hand as I recognized my pseudonym. After the night before with Bellamy, my whole brain had apparently been fried if I couldn't even remember my fake name. It was only two letters off from my real name for God's sake!

  "Hi," I said hesitantly, offering my hand. Angel took it and then held it for a moment.

  "Wow," she said. "I've never seen eyes with gold in them before."

  "What?" I blinked.

  "Your eyes. They're brown, but you've got these interesting light swirls of gold in them. They're quite pretty." She let my hand go.

  "Oh," I said dumbly. "Thank you." I felt a flush rise to my face and Delilah laughed. Thankfully, the twins saved me from further embarrassment.

  "Angel!" Isador cried, diving head first across the counter to hug the other woman. Angel chuckled as she hugged the girl back and then set her down. When she rounded the counter, Natalia was next.

  "We haven't seen you in forever!" Natalia said with a pout. "I thought I told you to call us the next time you were in Barcelona. I have it on good authority that you were there last winter."

  Angel smirked. "Who told you I was in Barcelona?" she asked. "I was in Milan, not Barcelona."

  "Milan?" Delilah asked. "What were you there for?" Her face brightened with excitement. "Oh, my goodness! Did you get the contract?" Angel smiled and nodded, and Delilah whirled to me. "Angel's a model," she gushed. "She's been working out a modeling contract with an international agency for months." She swung back to Angel. "Why are you here if you got the contract?"

  With a shrug, Angel moved towards an open doorway with a gold chain linked across. She unhooked it and we followed her into the room. "Gran is having some surgery. I offered to help since I'm in the states for the next few days. You actually caught me at a great time. I'm leaving tomorrow."

  "Oh?" Delilah bounced alongside her as we entered a long hallway that had a couple of smaller rooms on either side. Angel withdrew a key and unlocked one before letting us in. "Do tell, where are you going?"

  Angel moved towards a tall elegantly carved wardrobe as the twins collapsed on a purple cushioned settee. As I glanced around, I realized that the entire room was an eclectic mix of colors. The walls were an antiqued, floral lined wallpaper. Not one of the chairs and settees were the same color or shade. In the middle of the room, there was a short, white circular stage set in front of a tri-fold mirror edged in what looked to be pure bronze. Somehow, it all worked together to create a unique and homey space.

  “I’m heading to NYC,” Angel said. “So not far, but in a couple of weeks I’ll be flying to London for a photo shoot.”

  “Wow, how exciting,” I said.

  Angel threw a smile over her shoulder at me before turning back to rummage through the wardrobe. “I’m not as well traveled as I’d like to be,” she admitted. “I’ve only been out of the country a couple times and only to Italy.”

  “Hey, Harley,” Natalia called, “have you ever been out of the country?”

  “Uh, no,” I admitted. “This is actually the first time I’ve been out of the Carolinas.”

  “Oh, really? Your dad’s never taken you with him on any business trips?” she asked, glancing at Isador. “Our dad took us all the time when we were younger.”

  I barely resisted the urge to flinch. “No,” I said quietly. Thankfully, Natalia and Isador fell into a different conversation and Angel and Delilah did the same. I sat in a wing-backed chair in the corner and watched the four of them chat.

  I was exhausted by the time the girls were done with their dresses. Even I had one, apparently. It was a long shimmering purple sheath dress with a beaded back. I suspected it had been Marv who had called to order it to be made. The moment it settled over my curves, I had loved it, but I had to remind myself that this was all make believe. It was just pretend. I wasn’t really going to a cotillion – those things were meant for southern belles anyway. It was just an excuse Ms. Enders used to get these girls together and prepare them for their real world. And their real world was vastly different than my own.

  “Are you okay?” Delilah asked as we exited the shop, waving goodbye to Angel and wishing her well on her lucky travels.

  “Yea,” I said, shaking my head to get rid of some of the fog that had started to form. “I’m fine. Why?”

  Before she could answer someone was calling out. “Hey! Harley! Harley!” Shocked that someone would be calling out my fake name, I turned and nearly swallowed my tongue.

  “Oh my,” Delilah gasped, “please tell me that’s your brother. If that’s your brother, I can marry him.” After what had occurred the night before with Bellamy, I should not have been entertaining jealousy. But in that moment, I wanted to put a paper bag over Marv’s gorgeous head so that Delilah and the twins would stop looking at him like they wanted to eat him alive. Isador and Natalia were on the curb, looking behind them with knowing smiles and a bit of envy as Marv came up to us, huffing and puffing.

  He looked the picturesque version of the handsome gentleman in light khakis with a brown leather belt and a white and blue checkered dress shirt neatly tucked into his waistband. He bent slightly to catch his breath, then stood up to his full height and yanked me into a quick hug. I shivered at the sensation of his arms closing around me and I could have sworn I heard the girls all sigh behind me.

  “I knew that was you,” he said as if he didn’t know that I was supposed to be here. “What are you doing here?”

  “Uhhh...I’m attending Ms. Enders’ Etiquette Camp,” I said dumbly. The smell of dark roast coffee permeated all but his hair, which smelled of floral hotel shampoo. When he finally released me, I teetered on my heels as if I had drunk some of the champagne I had been offered earlier.

  “S
o that’s why Knix brought me here,” Marv said with a ‘huh’ look on his face. I narrowed my eyes at him, but quickly schooled my expression as Delilah introduced herself and Isador and Natalia ambled back over, doing the same. “It’s nice to meet you,” he said, producing a million-watt smile. “I’m a friend of Harley’s cousin,” he took their hands in turn, “Marvin Carter.”

  A part of me wondered why he didn’t use a pseudonym, but then I realized it would probably have been a moot point. His parents were wealthy, someone would eventually recognize him if he continued to hang around or if the girls described him to someone back at the villa.

  “It’s lovely to meet you,” Isador said, batting her eyelashes. I wanted to rip those eyelashes off and shove them down her throat. When Natalia stepped forward and Marv took her hand as well, I blinked at myself, shocked at my own thoughts. I didn’t own Marv. We weren’t dating. After what I had done with Bellamy, I had no right to my jealousy. Still, the little green monster remained as the girls made small talk with Marv for the next few minutes.

  “Well, it was really wonderful meeting you ladies,” he said, “but I saw Harley and I couldn’t resist saying hi. Do you mind if I steal her away?”

  “Oh, we’re supposed to be meeting at La Maison for dinner at five. Why don’t you join us?” Delilah offered.

  “Oh, I couldn’t.” Marv waved his hands as he spoke. It was so unlike him that it took me a moment to realize he was playing a character. Just because he had to use his real name didn’t mean he had to be his real self. “I’m actually in town with Harley’s cousin.” He shot me a look that I knew the girls were watching. It was full of amusement and something sneakier, concern. “The jerk didn’t even tell me why we were hanging around here and I was getting bored. Had I known it was for Harley…” His words trailed off and I resisted the urge to roll my eyes. Marv was laying it on just a bit thick. One glance at the girls, though, and I knew it was working.

  “Aw, how sweet.” Delilah turned big eyes on me. “Go with him, Harley. We’ll tell Mr. Wallace that Angel needed some extra time to fix your dress.”

  Before I could accept or protest, Marv’s arm wound around my waist and he pulled me to his side. I practically saw the twins melt with wistfulness. “Thank you so much, Delilah,” Marv said graciously. “I promise, I will have her delivered to La Maison by 5 pm.”

  Delilah and the twins nodded in turn as Marv began walking, tugging me along with his arm around my back. “Smile,” he whispered. I did so despite the incredible urge that was building within me to slap his hands away.

  “What’s going on?” I whispered back.

  “Not yet.” He turned his head and waved behind him at Delilah and the twins. When I craned my neck, I realized they were still standing in the same place and waving back excitedly.

  “They’re going to tell everyone that they saw you,” I hissed as he turned a corner and urged me across a side street.

  “It’s fine.”

  I whipped my head to look up at him. “Why would it be fine?” I asked. “What happened to keeping a low profile?”

  “Not yet,” he said as we entered what looked like a bed and breakfast. Was this where the guys had been staying? But no, we passed right through the lobby and the strangely empty kitchen and out the back door into an alley. How had he known there wouldn’t be anyone there to stop us? Or at least ask us what the hell we thought we were doing walking through someone’s place of business. The kitchen, at least, was private property, right?

  Whatever it was, it didn’t matter anymore to my confused brain because the moment we cleared the alley I recognized the compact crossover car that Knix had rented from the airport to drive from Buffalo to Ms. Enders’ villa. Marv quickly opened the backdoor and urged me into the back before practically sprinting around to get into the front passenger seat. I froze as I was putting my seatbelt on when I realized who was driving. Bellamy flicked me a glance as Marv slid in and buckled up.

  “What are you waiting for, Harlow?” Marv said. “Buckle up, come on, we gotta hurry and get you back soon.”

  I finished clipping my seatbelt and then trained my gaze directly on him. “Why are you here?” I asked, deciding to ignore the riot of emotions cascading through my body at seeing Bellamy so soon after last night. “What’s happened?”

  “We’re heading to the hotel,” Marv said. “Sorry, I know it was a shock to see me. You did really well though.”

  “Why didn’t you text me and let me know what you were up to?” I finally directed my gaze to the back of Bellamy’s head, wondering why he hadn’t said anything the night before.

  “We just sort of decided it this morning. We’ve got some new info and we need to debrief and update the group on everything. That includes you. Don’t worry, I was there when Knix went to talk to Ms. Enders’ the other day. She knows that I’m in the area. Knix is still playing the dutiful cousin. Ms. Enders even asked if I would be so kind as to come to the cotillion.”

  “Fake cotillion,” I reminded him.

  He shrugged. “Both Knix and I have been invited.”

  I sighed and sat back against the leather interior of the car. Even though my muscles were tense from the shock of Marv showing up unannounced, it felt good to be back with the guys. Delilah and the twins had been great, and I had even enjoyed meeting Angel, but I missed being me. They all saw me as Harley Hampton – not Harlow Hampton.

  “So,” Marv turned around and eyed me up and down, “how has it been? Are you okay?”

  Bellamy grunted. Marv turned to him. “What?” he snapped.

  “Let’s wait until we get to the hotel,” Bellamy said.

  Marv frowned at Bellamy and my muscles tensed again, but neither said anything more. I watched the buildings fly by through the tinted windows. Though neither of them said as much, I could tell that Bellamy was avoiding the main street and staying clear of any areas that the other girls and people from the villa might be. The hotel was a short distance away, only about a ten-minute drive. When we arrived, Marv jumped out and immediately opened my door for me. I sighed as I descended onto the sidewalk. Soon enough, I would forget how to open my own doors.

  I glanced up at the Hotel Charmisa, a tall, square, golden structure with glinting windows every few feet. Marv put a hand on the small of my back, urging me forward as the car rolled away. "Let's go," he said.

  "What about Bellamy?" I turned to glance behind me as Marv pushed me through the glass front doors of the hotel.

  "He's parking the car," Marv assured me. "He'll meet us up in the room."

  I let Marv lead me towards the double elevators, not unlike the elevators that we had used when the guys had lived in the condos a few months ago. He pressed the button and I smirked as his foot tapped impatiently until the doors slid open. We stepped into the empty space and Marv pressed the button for the top floor. He noticed me watching and turned, pressing me back against the furthest wall. I gasped, my eyes widened as I looked up at him in shock.

  "Are you really okay?" he asked, his eyes roving over me as if checking for visible injuries.

  "I'm fine," I said with a sigh. I put my hands against his chest, but he refused to move back. "Marv..." I silently urged him with my eyes. "I'm fine, I promise. They've treated me just fine. I mean – the table manners and ballroom dancing lessons are torture, but other than that, it's been rainbows and sunshine."

  His eyes darkened as he continued to stare down at me. I didn't know if he even heard me. If he did, he wasn't showing any signs of it. He pressed forward again, pushing me firmly against the wall. What was he doing? The buttons at the top of the elevator doors dinged as we slowly rose to the top.

  "Marv?" I cursed my shaky voice, but I couldn't help it. My heart was racing. It beat in time with his – which I could feel through the fabric of both of our clothes, as close as he was.

  "Sunshine..." he whispered, and his mouth descended. My eyes closed of their own volition as his lips touched mine. His were soft. They were
like coming home, rubbing teasingly over the seam of my mouth. My lips parted, and I was the one who initiated further contact this time. I could have freaking kicked myself, dammit, but I couldn't help it.

  Enticing, his scent enveloped me, and Marv slid both of his arms around my back, pulling me firmly into his chest. My head tilted to the side as his tongue tangled and danced with mine. Was I breathing hard, or was he? Maybe we both were. My pulse thrummed in my veins, fast and expressive. Couldn't he understand how irresistible he was? I pressed against him, some part of me sought what I had felt the night before with Bellamy and when Marv's hands clasped me behind my legs and jerked me up, I felt it.

  My feet left the ground and I wound my legs around his hips. One of his hands reached out and slapped against the emergency stop button. There was a loud noise, but it was drowned out under the feelings coursing through me as Marv pushed me back against the wall and kissed me like I was the last girl on Earth – the last woman on Earth. It felt like the entire world could end right then and there, and neither of us would have noticed.

  Sparks of electricity danced under my skin everywhere his hands roamed. He cupped my sides, rolling downward, squeezing my ass. I gasped as he rubbed me between my thighs. Blinking my eyes open, my fuzzy vision cleared as I realized he was looking down at me. His eyes were animalistically dark – the normal, light gray darkened into a deep storm. It would have been scary if it hadn't been Marv, but it was Marv, and I knew he would never hurt me.

  One of his hands rose and brushed back my hair as he stroked my face. "We can't do this here," he said through gritted teeth. "But soon, Sunshine."

  I didn't reply, but he must have seen something in my face, because he nodded and put me down. I stood there for several shocked moments, confused by my own reactions as Marv reached over and hit a button to restart the elevator. As I adjusted my clothes and smoothed out my hair, I had to ask myself and not for the first time, what the hell was I thinking?

  As I walked into the hotel room, I could swear the guys knew what Marv and I had done in the elevator. But it was obviously just my imagination because if they knew then one of them would have said something. Texas shot a smile my way over the mound of computers set out in front of him, on the table in the corner of the room. Knix paced back and forth in the space between the flat screen television and the twin, queen beds.