Calamity Rayne: Gets A Life

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Calamity Rayne: Gets A Life Page 23

by Lydia Michaels


  “You have a lot of things covered lately.”

  Scowling, I asked, “What’s that supposed to mean?”

  He lazily lifted a shoulder. “Do you think you’re the first woman Remington hired to fuck his son?”

  My jaw unhinged as I stared up at him. My brain was still processing his words, so it took me a minute to think of a comeback. I probably could have come up with something better if I wasn’t so damn shocked by what he’d just said, but I didn’t understand any of this rivalry between us.

  “Are you upset because he didn’t want to fuck you?”

  He laughed. “Hardly. But if I were you, I wouldn’t get too comfortable in Hale’s bed. Chances are before long you’ll wind up right there, kneeling at his father’s.”

  I should have stood up and charged him like Bobby Boucher, but his accusation hit me like cannon fire. Not only was I stunned someone would say such a thing to me, I was disgusted to think there had been women that might have done what he’d insinuated.

  Son to father? No. I couldn’t wrap my brain around it. I’d never look at Remington that way, but what if he did hire me to entertain Hale? Oh God, was I some sort of rich boy’s toy?

  As I knelt on the floor, Eric’s smug mouth smirked. He’d gotten the better of me and that was exactly what he wanted.

  It hurt, knowing a stranger could dislike me to such a degree when, if he knew me at all, he’d know I wasn’t the type of woman to do anything like that.

  “I’m sure you’ve got this covered then.” He turned and walked away.

  I sat there for a few minutes, feeling sorry for myself until my legs started to fall asleep. My motivation crashed and I wanted to hide, because let’s face it, that’s what I did when things got too real. Forgetting the file, I went back to the sky deck.

  Remington looked up the second I reached the top step. “Did you find it?”

  “No. I’m done for the day. You can call Eric if you need anything else.”

  “Hold on just a minute, Meyers. You’re done when I say you are. What’s gotten into you?”

  No fucking way was I going to let that little ballwasher of an assistant make me cry, especially in front of my boss. Gritting my teeth, I turned back to Remington.

  “Why did you hire me?”

  He rolled his eyes. “We’ve been over this.”

  And he never gave me a feasible reason. “Answer the question.”

  “Watch your tone.”

  Pressing my lips tight, I said, “Tell me why you wanted me to go to that party last night.”

  Maybe I was just a temporary fix, and that was why he started pushing my buttons about other men, knowing his son had a jealous streak. Was he trying to prove something to Hale?

  He scowled. “Go take a nap, Meyers. You’re out of line and I—”

  “Am I here as some sort of entertainment?” I interrupted.

  “What the hell are you talking about?”

  “Oh, come on, Remington! I have no experience. I’m a clod in any sort of sophisticated setting. I don’t fit the part. And I know absolutely nothing about what it is you do. The other two were more than qualified. Did Hale tell you to hire me?”

  “I think you should lower your voice and take a walk until you calm down.”

  Pressure built in my chest. I couldn’t hold back my tears much longer. If I was some sort of a pawn to these people when I trusted them… I felt utterly stupid and out of my league. “You think you can buy anything.”

  His gaze shifted over my shoulder and I sensed we were no longer alone. My eyes closed when I heard Hale ask, “What’s going on?”

  “The hell if I know,” Remington snapped. “You try to talk some sense into her. You’re done for the day, Meyers—because I said so.”

  I turned and Hale looked at me with concern. “Rayne?”

  As he reached for me, I jerked back and snapped, “Don’t touch me.”

  I made a quick escape to my room where I locked the door. I wanted to call Elle, but what Eric said was so mortifying I couldn’t bring myself to repeat it.

  There was a knock at the door. “Rayne. Open the door.”

  My arms crossed protectively over my stomach as it started to cramp. “Go away.”

  “You’re being childish. Open the door so we can talk.”

  Fuck you, I wanted to shout, but I was too busy silently wiping my tears so I said nothing.

  Every time he challenged me to give a bit more of myself I did. All the while I patiently waited until he was ready to open up to me. Well, this time was different. I couldn’t bear the thought of discussing what was said upstairs. How would I ever stand to look at Eric again, knowing he’s said such things to me?

  Climbing onto the bed, I crawled to the headboard and wrapped my arms around my knees, covering my ears as Hale knocked again.

  “Rayne, please open the door. I have no idea why you’re upset.” I heard his phone ring through the wall and he cursed. “I’ll be back in a few minutes and we’ll talk.”

  Saved by the bell.

  He was gone for more than a few minutes. I rested on my side and shut my eyes. I wasn’t sure if he knocked while I was sleeping, but when I woke up several hours later no one was around. I quietly opened my door and saw his room was empty.

  Shutting the door, I dug through my bag for cookies and sat on the edge of the bed, shoving one after another into my mouth as I thought about what to do now. Humiliation had a way of paralyzing a person and for the life of me, I couldn’t think of a single sensible solution.

  Is that what they did, hire women, sleep with them, and then pass them off once they got bored?

  I couldn’t even imagine such twisted relationships, if that’s even what you called something that fucked up. The thought of looking at any of them turned my stomach. It wasn’t like I could just pack up and walk off. We were on a boat for Christ’s sake. We had at least two days left at sea.

  I wondered if we’d be making another stop. Pulling out my phone, I checked Remington’s schedule. Seeing the calendar reminded me how short of a time I’d been involved with the Davenports.

  The amount of emotion I’d invested didn’t equate with our timeframe. The Davenports seemed to fit me like an old shoe, but really, I didn’t fit here at all. Even my grasp of time was fucked up.

  Unfortunately, Eric was in charge of the calendar, and everything was written in abbreviations I didn’t understand. He probably did that on purpose to make me feel dumb.

  I couldn’t grasp why he hated me, but if what he said was true and I wasn’t the first woman in this position, then I could sort of see why he didn’t like me from the start.

  I recalled the day Hale showed me the crew barracks and how he made some comment about Eric being used to the arrangements. God, were they even trying to hide it? Truthfully, Hale was so out of my league and so set on having me, an unqualified woman hired as an assistant, it made too much sense.

  I was here for his entertainment. He’d recently been betrayed and I was his hired rebound. If he had been the one to pass my resume along, it made perfect sense that I’d be the one his father chose for the job.

  I flopped back on the bed, shoving the cookies away. I had a couple days left and then there would be some distance between all of us. I’d talk to Remington and get some answers because this seemed so farfetched I didn’t have a clue what the truth was.

  Hale would go to his place in Florida, and I’d focus on my purpose—personal assistant. I’d prove I could do the job I applied for. Everything else had to stop.

  If I didn’t drown Eric in the meantime, I’d consider it a win. Not having manslaughter on my record was always a plus.

  But if I remotely suspected any truth to what Eric said, I was done. Back to Oregon I’d go. If Eric lied…well…I really should tell Remington. But how could someone just make something like that up? One would have to be a true scumbag to even think up such a twisted scenario, which made it all the more plausible.

  I’
d wait and see what happened. That was all I could do. So why didn’t I feel better now that I had a plan?

  The few relationships I had, when I sensed they were over they were over. Having a plan usually helped, but in this case it made me sick to my stomach. I didn’t want us to end and I didn’t want to believe people I’d come to care about had manipulated me in any way.

  This was why I didn’t do serious. Serious scared me. I liked loose and easy. I should be happy this was nothing personal and I was just Hale’s bedroom boat buddy or whatever the fuck my title was around here.

  Something pinched in my chest as I momentarily placed myself in the meaningless column. It definitely hurt, because Hale had meant something to me.

  If my position was really invented for something so tawdry, I’d never be able to face any of them again. Feeling betrayed was one thing, but the fact that Remington—a man I’d come to trust—would exploit me in such a way…it just hurt.

  I never had a father and I knew Remington was the farthest thing from my dad. But I’d looked at him as someone I could count on to look out for me. I must be such a joke in their eyes.

  And Hale… How could he go on about betrayal if I wasn’t even hired for honest reasons?

  “Rayne?” There was a soft tap at the door.

  Oh God, I couldn’t do this. “Please go away, Hale.”

  The knob jiggled. “I’m not leaving until I see you.” He waited another minute then said, “You can’t stay in there forever. Please, open the door.”

  Fed up, I slid off the bed and unlocked the door, but positioned myself in front of it so he couldn’t come in. “I just want to be alone.”

  His gaze moved over my face and he scowled. “You’ve been crying.”

  “No.” That was a lie, but I was a big believer that there should be no crying in baseball or on boat trips.

  His scowl turned to worry. “I don’t understand what upset you. Did my father offend you?”

  My brows twitched. It was hard to assign the blame to anyone in particular without all the facts. At the moment they were all involved.

  “I don’t want to talk about it. You saw me, now please leave me alone.”

  I shut the door, but he caught it with his palm. “No.” Shouldering his way inside he stared at me. “That’s not how this works. You don’t get to just shut me out without telling me why.”

  “Oh really? Whose dumb rule is that?”

  His eyes narrowed. “Is it something I did?”

  “Just leave, Hale. I’m not talking about this.” I turned and he caught my shoulders.

  “I don’t want to leave. I want to know what happened and why you’re so upset. How you feel matters to me, Rayne.”

  “Does it?”

  “Of course it does. Why won’t you talk to me?”

  His concern didn’t fit the accusations that upset me. “Fine, but first, you answer my questions.” I shifted out of his hold and took a step back. “Who was the last person to sleep in this room?”

  His eyes moved to the bed and back to me. “I have no fucking idea.”

  “Who was your dad’s last PA?”

  “What? I don’t know. He has a lot of assistants. There’s Eric, Katherine, Jill, and a few interns here and there.”

  Wow. I suspected there were other women, but hearing their names made me want to vomit. “Did you sleep with those women?”

  He drew back. “Are you kidding me? Jill’s a child, and Katherine’s my mother’s age.”

  There had to be someone else. Eric wouldn’t have just made up something so outlandish. People didn’t do that. “How many women on your father’s payroll have you slept with?”

  “This is bullshit, Rayne. Whatever was before is over. I’m not getting into—”

  “How many?”

  His jaw clenched. “Three.”

  My eyes closed. Part of me held out hope that Eric was just a sociopath making groundless accusations, but Hale just admitted I wasn’t the first. “Then we have nothing to talk about.”

  “Why? Because I’ve been with other women? You knew that.”

  The walls were literally closing in on me. I was stuck here, but I couldn’t continue to work here. I needed to go home. I wanted my room and my things and to make all of these people disappear. I couldn’t do this.

  “When will we dock again?”

  “When we reach Florida, the day after tomorrow. Why?”

  I scanned my room. “You need to find someone else to help your father. I can’t work for you people anymore.”

  “You people?” He caught my arm and I jerked back, but he held tight. “Stop. Enough. What the hell is this about, Rayne? You don’t just take a job and walk away five days later.”

  He obviously didn’t know me. “The job expectations aren’t what I thought.”

  His expression turned wounded and he whispered, “I don’t want you to leave.”

  “Someone will eventually take my place.” The truth of my words sickened me.

  “I’m not talking about the fucking job! I’m talking about us. How the hell do you just walk away? What about us?”

  “Like I said, someone will eventually take my place.”

  Releasing my arm, he took a staggering step back. “I’m going to find out what happened. I’m not letting you just walk away without good reason.”

  I said nothing. Eric survived eleven years working with the Davenports. He wasn’t going to make a peep when Hale asked around. Of that I was certain.

  I just needed to get to Florida and get home, so I could lick my wounds privately. “You do what you need to do.”

  Chapter Seventeen

  Old Habits Die Hard

  I woke up the following morning to a text from Remington demanding my presence on the sky deck. I didn’t rush to meet him though.

  Once I had myself dressed and somewhat ready for the day, I took a roundabout way to the top floor of the yacht, so not to cross paths with anyone, but when I stepped onto the sky deck the first person I saw was Eric. My steps faltered and I quickly dropped my gaze, waiting for Remington’s direction.

  “Leave us, Eric.” The other assistant took the front steps to the deck below. “Have a seat, Meyers.”

  Keeping my mouth shut, I took my usual place across from him at the table.

  “Hale tells me you no longer want the job.”

  I shook my head.

  “I can’t hear you.”

  “I think it would be best if you found someone else,” I mumbled.

  “I see.” He eased back in his chair and casually tapped his fingernail on the table. “I find myself in a strange position. As far as assistants go, you’re passable. I’d have no trouble finding an eager replacement, yet I don’t want to see you leave.”

  I’d only worked for the Davenports for a week, but it seemed so much longer. Walking away meant never seeing them again, because let’s be realistic. Remington was busy, and I was no one. I was absolutely replaceable.

  “Nothing to say?”

  I shrugged. “I’m sorry.”

  He sighed. “You asked why I hired you. The truth is, no one else would have, Meyers. You showed up in street clothes, you answered every question wrong during the interview, and the competition was fierce. But I’m not used to being dependent on others, and while Pendleton was a tolerable kid, that other one would’ve got under my skin by the second day. I needed someone to put up with me and they had to be someone I could tolerate. My logic, Meyers, was that I liked you, so I took a chance.”

  Tightness twisted inside my chest. I liked him too, but… “You hired me as your personal assistant?”

  “No, I hired you as a tax consultant. Christ, Meyers, you don’t make it easy.”

  Lifting my face, I looked into his eyes. I needed to read his response as much as I needed to hear it. “Did my position have anything to do with Hale?”

  His dark brows drew together. “Hale’s a constant in my business, so I had him vet the resumes, but you’re my empl
oyee.”

  Yesterday, when my emotions were running high, and Eric had gotten the better of me, it seemed so reasonable that I was a part of some ploy. But now, looking at Remington and hearing how simple the whole situation was I felt like a total jackass.

  “I’m sorry for the way I acted yesterday.”

  “I like you, Meyers, but I won’t tolerate disrespect. You want to snap at people and have womanly mood swings, you can throw your fits somewhere else. Now, if something happened yesterday and you want to talk about it like a rational individual, I’d be happy to discuss it.”

  I just wanted to put the whole episode behind me. “No. I think I figured it out.”

  “Good. Now, do I need to have Hale pull out the resumes or are we stable?”

  I wasn’t sure where Hale and I stood or where I wanted to stand with him, but I wasn’t ready to give up my job as Remington’s assistant just yet. I did, however, want to apply every ounce of energy to making Eric obsolete.

  “I’d like to continue working for you.”

  “Good. How’s the party coming along?”

  “The party’s done. I have to pick up some things once we dock, but all the plans are confirmed and ready to go. If you want me to take on more, I can. I’m not afraid of a little work, Remington.”

  “Well, that’s what I like to hear.” He lifted a stack of folders. “These are portfolios sent over from various energy companies. Reading them is like watching paint dry. I need someone to go through each one, make a list of pros and cons, and have the basic details summarized by tomorrow. I was going to give it to Eric because he has experience—”

  “I’ll do it.”

  “You’re sure? This isn’t exciting work.”

  I nodded. “I’ll start now.” I took the pile of portfolios and stood. “Thanks for talking to me, Remington.”

  He nodded. “Send Eric back up here on your way down.”

  “Yes, sir.”

  I carried the files to the upper deck where Eric waited on the sofa. His eyes followed me as I dropped the heavy pile on the table.

  “He wants you.”

  Eric stood and took a step toward the stairs, but I stepped in front of him.

 

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