Afterward, he collapsed onto my chest and we caught our breaths together. He finally looked up at me, brushed my eyebrows with his thumb, nibbling on my lips. “You should have stopped me, Shannon.”
I shook my head, brave to let him see my tears. “I wanted it too, just this way. Because what I think I have here with you is real, and I’ve thought a lot about it. Marco, for however long it lasts, we belong together right now. Here. I’m not going to let her take any of that away. It’s just us.”
He turned his head as if carefully considering my words. Heck, I didn’t even believe it myself. Evaluation and calculation were ruminating inside his brain. I knew he was trying to figure out if he could trust what I said.
He frowned. “It’s still not how I want to treat you. You deserve more.”
“I would have stopped you, and you would have honored my request. For me, Marco, you were never out of control, and I trust you. As crazy as it feels, I do trust you.”
I was looking for another word that wasn’t appropriate and I stuck to my guns and reverted to the safe Shannon who wasn’t going to press him, even though I was his completely.
Then he asked me, “How did all this come about?” He was still nibbling on my neck, putting his tongue in my ear, biting my earlobe, making me ticklish. I loved the intimacy between us, as if we’d been lovers for decades.
“I saw her interviewed on another program yesterday. I had no idea you were going to call, to come here. I asked my Program Manager if I could also do an interview because I did want to do one on your project anyway. And I guess I was also a little bit curious about her.”
“Did you satisfy your curiosity?” he whispered.
“I have no right to say it, but she’s not good for you.”
He stared back down at me without moving a muscle.
He was beginning to make me nervous, so I continued explaining, hoping he was as calm about it as he seemed.
“But I did it so I could begin to do a piece on your work, this project. Did I hope that somehow it would lead to you? I’d have to answer that question with a yes. But if I’d have known about you coming here, that you did want to see me again, I never would have set this up. And now I’m very sorry. But trust me, Marco. She is not part of our relationship. She belonged to the man you no longer are. I have this one,” I said as I pressed my hand against the tat of the sun on his chest over his heart. “For however long you’ll grant me access. I want this. I want us.”
He watched me and after a brief few seconds, placed his hand over mine.
“You be careful, Shannon. She’s dangerous.”
“Yes, I already know that.”
He angled his head. “So, you’ve met her already?”
I didn’t want to answer.
“She was the person you were with last night when I called?”
I wasn’t proud of my answer, but this wasn’t the time to start lying to him. “Unfortunately, yes.”
“And you don’t think she knows?” His voice was beginning to raise. “If she could hear my voice—”
“No, Marco. She didn’t. It was one of the most awkward moments of my entire life. I promise you, I kept that phone tight to my ear.”
“Because she’ll hurt you if she can. You know that, right?”
I nodded.
“She knows I’m out to get her. She’ll hurt you to get to me, Shannon.”
“I’m not a part of that war, and, like I said, she has no standing, no place in this relationship. Tell me you agree and understand that. I need to hear it. Or, am I wasting my time?”
It was one of the hardest things I’d ever had to ask.
“What do you think?”
I couldn’t tell him that I’d known him for over fifteen years, followed his career and how he lived because I’d studied it. And I knew he wouldn’t just use me and walk away, but he didn’t know that. I knew I’d have to do the reveal about Em some day and probably soon before we got too involved, but today wasn’t that day. But if we became a couple, a real couple, it would have to be done. Right now, I wasn’t sure what we were except a bright new beginning of something magic.
“I’m right where I want to be, Marco. I think you feel the same.”
“I want this too,” he whispered. “No more secrets, Shannon, okay?”
He must have felt my body flinch, but I softened it with a lazy smile. God, I was being such a good actress, or I hoped I was anyway. Because I really did want this to work, and I prayed that somehow he’d forgive me when it came to Em.
His face broke into a smile. “I guess you like to live a little on the dangerous side of life, maybe a little like me, then. You’re an adrenaline junkie too. Not a drama queen. Is that what you’re saying?”
“I’m responsible for all this, yes. But did I plan it that way? Hell no. I’m not going to try to cover up what I’ve done. I can’t do that to you, Marco. If you can’t trust me, what do we have?”
“It still would have been worth it, honey,” he said, lovingly adjusting my hair over my shoulder so he could look at my breasts again. I was relieved when he kissed my nipples one by one, and added, “But I like the idea of a sunset dinner somewhere special and, who knows? Maybe there will be more.”
“I want more, Marco.”
“Don’t I scare you? You should be scared, you know?”
Not being able to be with him was the scary part. Maybe I did like to live dangerously because if I ever had to get over him, I knew I never could.
“I want the way I feel when I’m with you. I want the man I think I’m beginning to know. That man, who’s gentle, who protects and keeps me safe. I’ll do battle with anyone because my biggest fear is losing this.”
That got him chuckling. “I’m supposed to be thinking about a big meeting I have in D.C, on Tuesday and a trip I have to take halfway around the world. Also, a job I will probably have to oversee in Africa. I also have to look for a new CFO. And I have to deal with a loan called against my assets and show up in court to produce documents.”
His hand fished down under the covers until he touched my wet, throbbing sex. Then, as he delicately fingered my opening and pressed a thumb into my clit, he spoke very seriously, directly to my face.
“But, all I can think about is a weather girl in Tampa, with the softest skin and the sweetest kisses. I can’t stop fucking her in my dreams, in my bed, in your bed. Anywhere. I can’t stop, Shannon. I don’t want to lose this either.”
My tears flowed. I just couldn’t help them. Part of it was relief, but part of it was knowing that the other secret I’d been holding onto might be the end of us. I knew my life would be a lot easier, but duller if I’d never gone to Boston, met him and fell in love that first time.
There was that word I couldn’t speak of.
But it was too late for that. I was in deep. And there was a world war ahead for me to win first.
Chapter 13
Marco
It was hard to let her go. We nearly didn’t make it out of the shower. I quickly dressed and she dropped me off at the Oceanis, which was on her way to the radio station.
“Come check out the room I’ve got, Shannon,” I begged, knowing it would do no good.
“No, Marco,” she said, shedding my hand as I tried to pull her inside the lobby.
I grabbed my leather bag, gave her one more kiss, and waved as she drove away.
“Checking in, sir?” the bellman asked.
I was directed to the front desk.
After signing the registration card, I was handed a small sheaf of papers, messages from the office in D.C., the old office in Manhattan, and from the Towers in Boston. I knew of the three, the one from the Towers would be the most innocuous, so dialed them on my way to the elevator.
Jerrold Hoffstedler from the accounting office sounded like he was still in high school, complete with the croak in his voice that made me think it had just changed. His nasal tone was a little off-putting. Perhaps he had a sinus infection.
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br /> “We’re having trouble processing the balance of your lease deposit, Mr. Gambini. It seems the bank says you’re overdrawn.”
“That can’t be. I have millions. Used to have billions. I’ve not been overdrawn for nearly twenty years.”
“I know it’s probably some glitch in your accounting system. You were approved without any problem, which means they checked your assets. These things happen all the time when we have guests relocating from other metropolitan areas. I once had a Saudi prince who bounced a three hundred-thousand-dollar check to us. He was quite embarrassed.”
“I should hope so.”
“I’m sure it’s a condition of moving and something just didn’t get flagged properly. If you could call us back tomorrow or Tuesday, there won’t be any further action needing to be taken.”
I was hoping that my CFO wasn’t giving me a good-bye headache. He left because he was scared he’d not have a job if he didn’t. But I doubted he’d do anything vindictive. In fact, I was sure of it.
But Rebecca, on the other hand, was another story entirely.
The suite I’d hired was spectacular. The views spanned nearly fifty miles of white sand beach coastline. I felt like the King of Atlantis, above the gulf, even above the gulls and pelicans flying through the blue sky containing billowy clouds the largest I’d ever seen. It would be a spectacular sunset. I threw my leather bag on the bed and began to plan out what I was going to order for dinner.
The concierge helped me coordinate the delicacies I was seeking. She reminded me that there were monogrammed towels, robes and blankets in the bedroom closet and let me know if I needed any more, she’d send them right up. I felt confident handing over all those details, including the most fragrant long-stemmed red roses she could find.
“Is this a marriage proposal, Mr. Gambini?”
“No. Just someone very special. And if tonight goes well, then anything is possible.”
“Oh, I’m so excited to help you with this. Clients like you are why I have this job. I’ll put on my thinking cap and call you back with some ideas after I’ve made some calls. You shouldn’t worry about a thing.”
I laughed. If only.
It was out of the question I would call the East Coast Bank & Trust, in either Manhattan or Boston, but I had to get the loan covered or this alligator would have a bunch of babies. And then I’d be asking for a job at the front desk or selling Bentleys.
And that reminded me! I had a Bentley coming soon. I called the pretty concierge and told her to let me know when it arrived and to have several blankets placed into the trunk and figure out how I could keep a bottle of champagne chilled when I drove the beast. She squealed and promised it was a task she’d lovingly carry out.
But it was time to face my financial woes. I’d let the bank stew long enough. I believed there was another way to handle my predicament and remembered Frank’s comment. I didn’t have the answer yet, though.
My attorney was the call from D.C. and I called him next.
“Marco, not getting much cooperation from Frank. Is he on an extended vacation? Seems like he took his whole office staff with him.”
Great. So much for simply fading into the woodwork.
“He’s on a temporary assignment,” I lied. “What can I help you with?”
“I’m being pressured for financials for the Trident Towers. You remember, we had that subpoena we had to produce documents? I’ve asked three times for a performa P&L from his office and I get crickets. You wouldn’t have that kind of information with you, I take it?”
“You know I don’t.”
“Well, they shut down the office in Bellaire because there was a shortfall for payroll. Looks really bad when that happens. I thought you were tending to that with the transfers so this didn’t have to happen. It’s bad press.”
“Have Celia in the HR department issue a memo about bonuses coming before Halloween, just in time for the holidays. An extra bonus for all their hard work and to thank them for their patience. And get them back to work.”
“Yes, yes, we can do that, but we don’t want to run afoul with Florida or Federal employment law. They’ll have to be paid first.”
“That’s going to be my next call. Don’t worry about it. All but on its way.”
“Nevermind the damage control. What I want to know is how did it happen?”
“I had a loan called.”
“How much are we talking?”
“Ninety million.”
His whistle was long and loud. “Are we solvent?”
“Of course we are, Bob. I could sell a couple of airplanes and raise the cash, given enough time.”
“So where’s the hole in the piggybank?”
“Guess. Where is it always? She got to somebody and it started a domino effect.”
Rebecca had intimidated the staff at the interior design group’s office so much that one time she had overspent funds to redecorate our new build-out in Manhattan, a state of the art center with an interactive display showing all the hot spots in the world today, and how one thing always leads to another. It was a brilliant idea, showing how something that happens in Africa could affect the price of water in the SanJoaquin Valley for pear and prune farmers. Nothing was ever as simple as it was laid out in the large metropolitan newspapers. Stuff was always brewing just below the surface—stuff the general public and half our government didn’t know about. But I did. I tracked these every day.
But even though it was a brilliant success and widely acclaimed as a masterpiece lobby, she spent twice as much as she was authorized. She had them all shaking in their boots, intimidated to the point of trying to hide that big goose egg under fear of being fired, until one of the junior clerks manned up and came to me, spilling the beans. He was the only one in that design department to keep his job.
That was the beginning of having my eyes opened to what she was doing. It was like Chinese torture—holding them open with toothpicks. We had the longest and loudest argument of our marriage. In the process, she destroyed a whole package of carefully wrapped paintings I’d just purchased, adding to my extensive collection. I retaliated by grabbing her box of jewelry and throwing it off the balcony where it fell into the pool and marble surround at the Ritz in Paris, the place we were staying.
She became caustic and bitter and we never made up. We fucked like dogs in heat, occasionally and rarely, but we never made up.
We never will.
Her new tactic of tying up my assets, putting holds on funds already approved for different projects, which, at the front end anyway, usually meant paying the visionaries to get the ball rolling on a new project, was what she was doing since the divorce. I couldn’t figure out why she still would have such a hardon for me. She got nearly everything she’d wanted in the settlement.
But there was one thing she didn’t like hearing and my attorney rammed it hard into her and was unrelenting. She had the clause he’d made up stricken from the settlement agreement. The language required that she distance herself from me, my companies and my employees for the rest of her natural life. If there ever was any doubt, I was severing all ties to her, that clause was living proof I was as serious as a heart attack. She was to go away and never grace my doorway again. I’d paid a lot of money to make sure she would do that.
It took months, and even though she refused to sign it, we still left it in the agreement because I wanted it there, lined it out in red, and both of us eventually initialed it so we could be done.
But that’s exactly what she was refusing to do. She was determined to continue to ruin me further by these antics and little surprises I had to juggle to fix. She would never give me my freedom as long as she was alive. And since I wasn’t flush with cash like I was used to be, and wasn’t the jerk I could have been, she remained alive and able to walk the planet nearly unimpeded, spending my money to take away even more of mine. The lockdowns were having a debilitating effect on doing just every day, routine stuff.
�
�I know you’ve thought about putting a bullet into her brain, so don’t quote me on it. But somehow we have to get rid of her, and I don’t mean physically, either, just so we’re clear. Doesn’t she have something else she likes to do besides make your life Hell?”
“I think if something were to happen to her, everyone in the world would blame me. But honestly, she’d probably rise from the grave and haunt me as well. She has no scruples. None whatsoever. If you ever get some good ideas, shoot them my way, please. Until then, we just have to do it straight up because if we make a wrong move, she’ll pounce on me.”
“Just so surprising she would turn on you that way.”
“Bob, I did nothing except ask her to leave. Maybe she thought I’d one day come crawling back to her. Ain’t ever gonna happen, Bob.”
“Yeah, and all of us have to keep our distance too.”
I thought about Shannon. Maybe I’d have to adjust my standards if she tried to go after her. But hopefully, not.
“So, call me tomorrow after you get this banking thing set. Let me know who can give me those records, or I’ll have to ask for an extension.”
“Get the extension. I’ve got to go to D.C. Tuesday, then I’m off to the Indian Ocean for a few days, including travel time.”
“The sultan?”
“Yup.”
“You should ask his advice. How many wives does he have?”
“I think he’s going on thirteen. And yes, I’ve admired how he can seem to keep his household in shape.”
“Well, unlike Rebecca, they don’t have much of an alternative.”
“I think you’re right, Bob. Rebecca has lots of options now that she’s gotten the settlement. I’m going to try to get it all back, and then some. But I’m going to do it legally.”
“Music to my ears, Marco. You did it once, you can do it again. I’m keeping my ear to the pavement for wind of anything and I’ll let you know. You just go out there trying to patch everything up and I’ll fight your battles in court.”
Bone Frog Bachelor (Bachelor Tower Series) Page 9