The Hotel Bel-Air had several tiny bungalows that looked like summer cottages or guest houses, which you passed on your way to the main estate. The stone walkways led to white picket fences and intimate, ultra-private, tiny houses filled with furnishings that rivaled the best homes in Beverly Hills.
Fortunately, Elisha Fisher was staying in the Chase specialty suite, so Kimberly’s excuse that she was there to pick Elisha up for a dinner at Chase Mansion was credible. She knew the room and the occupant. She imagined that Lawrence suspected her of lying when she said she would only wait for Elisha in the room, but he worked exclusively for the highest-end clients of the hotel, including all of the regular celebrities, so a diva fit, which Kimberly showed signs of throwing, was par for course.
Her ploy worked, and as Kimberly reached the bungalow, she sneaked up to the private entrance to the front door. She leaned in, hoping to hear nothing. After several seconds of listening, she was satisfied that Elisha was at least not in the front area of the cottage.
Using her key, Kimberly slowly and quietly opened the front door and stuck her head inside. She saw the Italian furnishings, hand-woven rugs, and the fireplace, but no Elisha. Stepping further inside, Kimberly quietly closed the door behind her. She had purposely worn tennis shoes so she wouldn’t be heard walking around.
She only had to take two steps inside before she heard a voice. Elisha was there, and she was talking to someone. Kimberly walked through the living room toward the bedroom. As she got closer she decided that Elisha was talking on the phone because there was no other voice.
Kimberly had not expected Elisha to be there. Because of the way the cottages were secluded from the rest of the world, there was no way to tell if someone was coming or going. Her only clue was Lawrence, who told her he didn’t believe Ms. Fisher had returned because she hadn’t picked up any of her messages. Now that she turned out to be there, Kimberly would search through what she could, but hoped to get lucky.
A phone conversation could definitely be lucky, and when Kimberly heard the water begin to run in the bathroom, she felt even luckier. Elisha was about to take a bath and that would keep her occupied for a little while. But she wanted to hear the conversation because Elisha’s voice was just one octave too loud to be comfortable.
Kimberly was in the master bedroom now, doing her best not to think of how crazy she was to be doing this. She had very little to lose, and her desire to have anything she could use against Michael to gain her freedom and her babies, erased any fear or common sense she might have had in such a situation. She didn’t want to get caught, but she honestly didn’t care.
Kimberly quickly slid behind the open door to the bedroom so she wouldn’t be seen if Elisha came out. She had a slight view of the bathroom, decorated in beautiful marble, and just the edge of very white legs extruding from a terry-cloth bathrobe.
“Keenan, I can’t tell you that I . . .” Elisha sighed heavily as she sat at the edge of the tub. “Baby, I know, but . . .”
Baby? So she had another lover besides Michael. Kimberly smiled, relishing the chance to tell Michael he wasn’t enough for the girl.
“Why are you so upset?” Elisha asked. “It’s done. Your brother is in. Yes, there were some hiccups, but once I convinced Michael, I told you this would happen.”
Kimberly couldn’t help herself. She risked discovery by tiptoeing across the bedroom to stand against the wall next to the bathroom to hear better.
Elisha stood up and walked around the tub, cradling her cell phone between her neck and shoulder as she began to remove her robe.
“No, I know the ink isn’t on the paper yet, but I’ve gone beyond Michael. I swear to you, Steven will sign by the end of the week. Luxury Life Publishing will be a part of Chase Beauty and . . . Hold on a second, Keenan.”
Kimberly froze in the sudden silence and feared that Elisha was on to her, but she was only removing her robe and stepping into the oversized tub.
“You’re telling me it’s hard to trick Steven Chase?” she asked. “I’m the one that’s been dealing with him. I’m the one that’s convinced him that this deal is clean and clear. You should be thankful I’ve come this far. Who else could have tricked both Michael and Steven Chase?”
Kimberly couldn’t believe what she was hearing. No one could trick either of them. How had she been able to trick them both?
“Oh stop it,” Elisha said impatiently. “I don’t care about Michael. I just . . . I wanted to be convincing. You have no reason to be jealous. It was work.”
Kimberly knew she was lying. A woman could tell from another woman’s voice when she was lying to her man. Whoever this Keenan was, he was right to be suspicious that whatever Elisha was supposed to do with Michael had turned into something more. If it hadn’t, Elisha would have reserved her show for Michael. The fact that she came to Kimberly, made herself and her intentions known, meant that Elisha really cared about Michael.
“Baby, there is no chance in hell it will get back to me when this thing blows up in their faces. Do you think I would want Steven Chase after me? I’m an expert at this. I’ve positioned myself to be just as clueless to the disaster as anyone else. Hell, Frist doesn’t even know that I know. Steven will blame him.”
Disaster? Kimberly realized this was bigger than Michael making a winning deal. Whoever she was talking to was out to get Chase Beauty.
“I’ll be clean as a whistle and you can come in and put the nail in the coffin of Chase Beauty. Yes, dear. Once the contracts are signed, you can break the news and Chase Beauty will be on the hook for everything.”
Kimberly hated the woman a few minutes ago. Now she admired her. She was purely evil, and seemed determined to do what Kimberly didn’t believe anyone ever could. She was going to bring down Chase Beauty.
“It won’t matter,” Elisha said with a calm, cool confidence. “Chase Beauty will own Luxury Life Publishing and it will be responsible for everything. The company won’t survive. Now, please, let me have a peaceful bath and get some rest. I’m back in the trenches tomorrow.”
Kimberly was glad she’d waited a few minutes. After hanging up the phone, Elisha turned the faucet off and it was too silent for Kimberly to make a move. She would certainly be heard, and this was just too juicy to risk getting caught. Fortunately, Elisha reached for her iPod. Once the earbuds were in, Kimberly made her way out of the bedroom undetected.
She spent a few minutes looking through Elisha’s things in the study, a room set up better than the average at-home business office. Nothing made any sense to her, but she found some notes that Elisha had tossed in the garbage for some reason, despite the fact that there was a shredder right beside it.
Kimberly unraveled the first sheet and saw the name Keenan written more than once. That was enough. She grabbed all the sheets she could and slipped out just as she had slipped in. She couldn’t make hide nor hair of it, but Neil, the private investigator Michael had forbidden her from seeing again, could. He was the only one she could trust to work fast, do a good job, and not let anyone know. She just had to come up with a way to convince him to do it.
She would figure something out. Kimberly saw a light at the end of the tunnel. She was going to be free, and Elisha would somehow be the person who made that happen.
“Carter, are you listening to me?” Steven yelled across the desk.
Carter snapped out of his haze, thinking of Julia and Avery and the mess he was making of this situation. “Yeah, but I thought we were done.”
“I’ll tell you when we’re done,” Steven said pointedly, his eyes expressing annoyance at his son, sitting on the other side of the desk in his home office. He had called both boys there for a final powwow before they signed the contracts for Luxury Life Publishing on Monday.
“With the Museum Ball this weekend, there won’t be another chance for us to all agree that this is a done deal.” Steven turned to Michael, who was standing against the wooden antique Russian bookcase, looking more anxious than us
ual.
“It’s done,” Michael said proudly. “All the Is are dotted and the Ts crossed, right, Carter?”
Carter nodded reluctantly. “There is nothing that I can say that would make this a bad deal. It’s a steal and it’s a great opportunity.”
“But?” Steven asked.
“But nothing,” Michael argued. “Why are you trying to fuck this up, Carter? Because it’s mine?”
Carter tossed him an annoyed glance before turning back to his father. “There is no but, Dad. I don’t like her. That’s it.”
“But these are strictly personality issues,” Steven said. “I respect your gut, Carter. Tell me.”
“Jesus!” Michael couldn’t believe this. It would never have gotten to this point if Carter had suggested the deal. He knew his father was doing this just to hurt him.
Carter thought for a second, then shrugged his shoulder. “It’s a great deal, Dad. I say we sign Monday and get to work turning that thing around.”
“Good.” Steven closed the large file on the desk in front of him. He felt satisfied with the deal. Although he assumed it was only to get into Michael’s good graces, Elisha Fisher had gone out of her way to meet Steven’s needs. “So, after Monday the real work begins.”
Steven turned his chair to the right and looked up at Michael from an angle. “Good job, son.”
Michael’s eyes widened as he stood up straight. “What?”
“You did a good job,” Steven offered.
After all that had happened between him and Michael, the grief his choices had cost the family, Michael was still his son, and Steven loved him. Michael was the future of Chase Beauty. Steven had swallowed the bitter pill of Carter’s choices. As far as their personal relationship was concerned, that would take time, but professionally, Michael had taken a step forward and he deserved the acknowledgment.
“Thanks,” Michael said after a while. He felt stupid for smiling, but he couldn’t stop it. This man’s approval was more important than bread and water to him, and he hadn’t heard that praise in a very long time.
“Is there anything else?” Steven asked.
“The plane accident was officially ruled a mechanical error,” Carter said. “The FAA will be sending us the final report next week, so I suggest you get started on your public relations strategy now. Maybe a press conference?”
“No more conferences,” Steven said somberly. “I did it before because of the onslaught from the media, but I’ll just release a statement. That should be enough. I want to get this whole thing behind us.”
“The pilot’s family,” Carter said grimly. “This will affect our settlement negotiations.”
“Nice note to end on, Carter,” Michael said. “We have to give his wife whatever she wants.”
“I’ll be taking care of it,” Carter said. “Her lawyers are talking fifty million. We’re not doing that.”
“No,” Steven said. “It was horrible what happened, and we will make it so that she and her children will never want for anything ever again. But that number goes down dramatically, Carter. Do you understand?”
“Yes, sir.”
“Good.” Steven slapped his hands together, rubbing them quickly. “That’s it. I need to talk to Carter now.”
Carter stopped in mid-lift from the chair. He had become adept at reading Steven’s expressions over the years, and this wasn’t going to be nice. He sat back down, bracing himself for whatever was to come.
“What?” Michael said, still reeling from his father’s compliment.
“Get out,” Steven said impatiently, nodding his head toward the door.
Carter and Michael exchanged glances as Michael passed.
As soon as Michael shut the door behind him, Steven asked, “Are you fucking Avery?”
Carter’s entire body tensed up and he was frozen. He looked directly at his father, not moving and not saying a word.
“Stop staring at me like an idiot and answer my question.”
Carter took a moment, but regained his voice. “Who told you that?”
“So your answer is yes,” Steven said impatiently.
“Did Julia . . .”
“She told your mother she caught you two together.” Steven was analyzing his son’s every expression. He needed to understand what was going on.
“I don’t think my sex life is any of your business.” So much for Julia’s agreement to not say anything after he put on his best show of the regretful boyfriend.
“Everything you do is my business,” Steven corrected. “Six months ago, you boys lost your right to any secrecy. And I thought we had an agreement about Avery.”
“And I wanted to stick with it,” Carter said. “The plan was working perfectly, but . . . then the accident happened.”
Steven had to hold his emotions in check as he watched his son sit silent for a moment. Carter showed anger often, and sometimes joy, but he was rarely this vulnerable.
“It changed everything,” Carter finally said. “I’m sorry, but . . .”
“Don’t apologize,” Steven said. “Unless you’re sorry you did it.”
Carter took a moment before confidently saying, “I’m not. Nothing has been clear for me since the . . . Everything has been in a haze. Everything except Avery.”
Steven watched his son’s head veer a little to the right and his eyes glaze over. It was times like this that he was reminded of everything he lacked as a father. He should do more, give more, but he didn’t know what.
“All that other stuff,” Carter continued, “like my plans, seemed too small and too arduous at the same time. I could die tomorrow and . . .”
“That’s not going to happen,” Steven said with a certain tone.
“But it almost did and . . . I did what I felt I had to do and so did Avery.” He saw the skepticism on his father’s face. “And no, I didn’t take advantage of the situation. Avery feels the same way. We were both too scared of what we could have missed.”
“I understand.”
Carter’s head shot up as he looked at his father in surprise. Had he heard right? “You . . .”
“You need to be careful,” Steven admonished. “Julia is determined to be a part of this family. You’ve pushed her to a point you can’t return from.”
“I know her family is very important.” Carter could only imagine how Julia and his mother had planned the next thirty years of their life together already.
“Ours is more important,” Steven assured him. “But Julia has the power to make this very ugly and very public, and that is not something I will tolerate. Your mother and I moved this earth to cover up that murder.”
“It was an accident,” Carter said. “If David had been able to upload that tape onto the Internet, we would never have been able to remove it.”
“That’s not the point, Carter.” The only thing that allowed Steven to deal with the situation was knowing the chaos that David’s death had prevented. “With the plane accident and this big acquisition, this family has enough to deal with. If a vindictive girlfriend wants to put our family in the paper, she can do it.”
“I can handle Julia,” Carter said, even though he wasn’t so sure. “She wants me more than she wants my fidelity.”
“So what does she do when you dump her to be with Avery?” Steven asked. “That is your plan, right? You want to be with Avery.”
“We’re figuring that out,” Carter answered.
“You better,” Steven said as he stood up. He walked around his desk to Carter and waited until Carter was standing, facing him.
“We were all scared, son.” He spoke in a low but emotional tone, rare enough to startle even himself.
Seeing the raw emotion on his father’s face, even though it was only for a moment, affected Carter deeply. He never doubted his father’s love. It was so much more complicated than that. A kid needs so much more than love from his father. But this touched him and Carter would never forget it.
After a moment, Carter smil
ed and asked, “Is this where we’re supposed to hug or something?”
“That’s not necessary,” Steven answered. He was already turning back to his desk. “I’ve got work to do.”
“All right,” Carter said, understanding that he’d gotten more than he could have expected and he was very, very happy.
“Where in the hell have you been?” Kimberly asked as she rushed into her private bathroom and locked the door behind her. “You were supposed to call me an hour ago.”
“It took me awhile to decide whether or not I was going to call you at all.” Neil Owen was one of many private investigators the Chase family had used over the years to find out whatever they had no right to know. He was sixty years old and had spent more than half of his life in the CIA before retiring to the private sector.
Over a year ago, Neil made the mistake of agreeing to help Kimberly, behind the backs of the rest of the Chase family. She needed to find Janet’s deep, dark secret, and Neil had found it—a rushed abortion and an affair with a French teacher named Paul Deveraux. The disaster that ensued cut Neil off from the Chase gravy train. Kimberly wasn’t supposed to ever talk to him again. But she did.
When David began harassing her anonymously, she had gone to Neil to help her figure out what she should do. He found out what he could, and offered to make David regret coming to L.A., but he drew the line at getting rid of David, and Kimberly couldn’t settle for anything less.
After this fiasco, someone in the Chase family talked to Neil. He wouldn’t tell Kimberly who, but the next time she tried to contact him to help her find a divorce lawyer that wouldn’t cave in to the Chase family, he told her in no uncertain terms he wasn’t going to work with her.
But Kimberly had her ways. She had her beauty and she had her acting skills. A beautiful woman breaking down in tears while wearing a seductive spaghetti-strap dress could get a man to do just about anything. That and ten thousand dollars in cash she’d gotten from selling three of her BCBG Max Azria dresses to an upscale designer shop in Malibu.
A Price to Pay Page 19