by Louisa Neil
“I’m supposed to give you a receipt for the car as you asked. You’ll not be responsible for the two days’ rental or the pickup fee.”
“Which I have here,” Alice said, handing it to him. Please fill in the information where applicable, and then Mr. Dallen will sign.” The two men went over the car, spoke quietly, and finally walked back to where the Hudson three stood, one complete united front, Jeff decided.
“It’s all filled out and explicitly says you’re not financially responsible and the vehicle is in good condition.”
Alice took the page, read it over, and handed it to Jeff to sign. After scrawling his initials across the form, Alice disappeared. A few minutes later she came back and handed the original to the men. “Nice to meet you, gentlemen. Safe drive back.” They watched the two men settle in the vehicles and turn around, leaving quickly.
“I’m freezing,” Alice said, heading inside. “And I’ve got to go to the lab for a while.”
“What did you say to their boss?” Mason asked, following her inside.
“I just baffled him with bullshit.” She gave the men a familiar smile.
“Alice?” Jeff asked after he had locked the door and set the alarm.
“Fine. I threatened him with litigation for not confirming with you first before letting Naomi have the vehicle. I told him that he let a pretty woman override his common sense. If he’d made a simple phone call to confirm you’d be responsible, he wouldn’t be in this situation.” She paused for a breath. “I also told him he was very lucky that Naomi actually came here and didn’t drive away with his vehicle.”
“That was brilliant. But how did you get him to send over the release?”
“He didn’t. I told him I’d type something up for you to sign. It just seemed the easiest way to him to get this whole situation handled.”
“I’m sure there was more to it, but I’m just thankful you baffled them!”
“Speaking of which.” She headed to the main staircase. “I’m going up to get some warm clothes and go to the lab.”
“I thought we were going for a swim?” Jeff asked, confused by her sudden change of mood.
“I did, too, but this is more important. Call me for food later.” She scurried off, leaving the two men staring at each other.
“I’m going to the lab, too,” Mason said to Jeff.
“I’m going to get dressed, and I’ll meet you there.”
“Any idea why she’s so hopped up?”
“Don’t know, my friend. But when she figures it out, she’ll tell us.” Jeff shrugged his shoulders and headed upstairs.
Chapter Eighteen
Alice spent the next hours in the computer lab. Both men had come in, asked if she needed help, and when ignored, left her alone. It was late afternoon when she finally surfaced from her screens.
“Anybody interested in what I found out?”
“Yes, I am. You’re too happy, Alice. What did you do?” Mason acknowledged.
“How about a glass of wine?”
“I’ll get it,” Jeff said, walking to the playroom and returning with an open bottle and three glasses. After filling them and handing them around, he pulled over a chair and sat beside her. “Now what did you find out?”
“Naomi’s broke. Dead broke, and her husband isn’t much better off.”
“How? I thought she had family money,” Mason said.
“She used to, but she blew through it in a few years.”
“All of it?” Jeff said, his tone sounding stunned. “I always wondered why we she never invited me to any of her housewarmings or presentations. Was she working at all?”
“From what I can gather, she did a few decorating jobs when you two first got together. But after a while, she stopped taking on new clients.”
“And David’s money isn’t as much as she thought. That’s why she was making one last attempt to get me back.” Jeff sat back and sipped his wine.
“Did you find out where in New York she’s staying?”
“You bet I did. She used David’s card for the town car to Manhattan. The hotel she put under our corporate name, and she told the manager you’d be flying in tonight to sign in.”
“So she was going to let David sign in as Jeff? Does she still have one of his credit cards?” Mason seemed baffled.
“Apparently not. She dropped the company name and said Jeff would be in on a later flight and take care of it.” Alice smiled. “I took care of it. When David arrives tonight, if he arrives, they’ll be asking for his credit card. And the best part is, since she was here last night, and he apparently thinks she was at the hotel, well, I wouldn’t want to have to explain to him where she actually was. Remember, she told him on the phone last night she wasn’t here and hadn’t seen Jeff.
“She is really desperate. And desperate people do stupid things. But they’re also dangerous.” Alice wasn’t happy. Her tone of voice said it all.
“You think she’ll come back here?” Mason sounded concerned.
“I don’t know. I did text her that her vehicle was picked up earlier today and the rental manager would be in touch about her payment.”
Mason laughed heartily. “Remind me I shouldn’t piss you off, Alice. You think in directions I’d never consider.”
“I went one further. I copied the text about her car being picked up here to David. I figure by the time he arrives in New York, she’ll have some more explaining to do.” Alice drained her glass. “I need to stay here for a bit. I’ve put on new trackers to our credit, and I want to monitor our accounts.”
“We’re supposed to be out of this office,” Jeff reminded her. Her phone buzzed, and she picked it up. “It’s a call from David.”
“Are you going to answer it?” Mason asked.
“No, I am.” Jeff took the phone and wandered to the far end of the office. By the time he returned, he looked surprised.
“What’s going on?” Alice asked, topping off his wineglass.
Jeff dropped into an empty chair and handed Alice back her phone. “It seems, after your text, he did a bit of checking. I didn’t lie to him. I did tell him she showed up here yesterday and wasn’t happy when the reunion she was looking for went astray.” He sipped his wine. “I did inform him about the car situation.”
“And?” Mason asked.
“Alice was right. They’re broke. She left him after a fight about money and came here.”
“Is he going to take her back?” Alice asked. “Is he coming to New York?”
“I don’t know. He was in the airport when he got your text.” Jeff hesitated. “But he might be coming. He seems to truly love her, although I’m not sure why. He’s known about her money situation from the start. Last thing he said when they were calling his flight was, ‘Love screws up your priorities. Actions you wouldn’t tolerate from someone else you accept from your true love.’” Jeff paused and gave them a sad smile. “I guess I was him a few years back.”
“I hope he shows up and works it out with her.” Alice didn’t smile.
“Because if he doesn’t, that puts us back in her crosshairs?” Mason mumbled.
“At least the hotel won’t come looking to bill us. I spoke to the manger there and sent him an e-mail that you and the company are not responsible for her debts. That he should take it up with her husband when and if he arrived.”
“What will she do if he doesn’t show up?” Mason sounded concerned.
“Relax. When I spoke to the hotel manager, he told me he’d handle her on his end. Tell her he called the office about the charge and was told Jeff wasn’t responsible, nor was the company.”
“But what will she do then?”
“Be pissed, be very pissed,” Mason added.
“I’ve sent a blanket statement to all the hotels in New York disclaiming anything to do with her.”
“She’s smart enough to know she can’t come back here,” Jeff mused. “She’ll recognize I’ve hit my tolerance point with her. Worst case scenario, she’
ll bad mouth me when she can. Anybody who knows her will see through her. Frankly, I don’t care what she says about me anymore. That cord is cut.”
“We’ll be all locked up tight and not answering for the rest of the week. We’ll keep our phones on, but we’ll scan calls before just answering them.” Alice took a deep breath. “If she doesn’t get our hints this time and comes back, we’ll consider her a stalker and deal with her on that level. Then she’ll have to leave us alone.”
Alice spent the next weeks walking on eggshells. She froze when the phones rang and kept checking their credit every day. If Naomi was going to make a grand reentrance into their lives, she wanted to know now. They’d not heard a thing since that October weekend when her plans blew up. She didn’t know if David had actually come to New York. While she wanted to know, she didn’t want to contact either of them to find out if they were still together. She hoped they’d come to an arrangement that didn’t include the Hudson House Three. In reality, she understood Jeff wouldn’t stand for any more of her intrusions.
She wanted to put Naomi and David aside mainly because they were interfering with her future with Jeff and Mason. While nobody said anything about them, she felt the tension all around her. With a decisive move, she closed her computers for the day and told the guy’s she was going to do some early Christmas shopping. She left for the day, drove around the area, and shopped the small stores in town.
She found a lovely necklace for Marilyn and some ancient cookbooks she thought Cook would like. Alice knew Jeff would give each employee a cash bonus, but she wanted to have something personal for each of them. Finn had already been taken care of. She learned of his fondness for beer and signed him up for a monthly delivery from microbreweries.
Since she spent most of her time in the lab, she didn’t bother with the day employees. She hardly knew them and wasn’t looking to open her social circle with new friends. The only friends she needed she had. Jeff and Mason. She made one more stop and made her choice and arrangements for a pickup next week. By the time she returned, she felt better. The cold air had cleared her mind.
She headed to her room before supper and wrapped the gifts. Mason’s was already wrapped and waiting. She’d found an ancient game system for sale along with the original games she knew Mason would love. Jeff was the hardest to buy for, but she’d found what she thought was the perfect present for him. Alice chose a black-and-white photograph of the original house and had it copied to canvas. The details were hand painted, bringing the house to life. It was beautiful, and she hoped he liked it. Now all she had to do was wait for Christmas to come.
She hoped they’d find the rhythm they’d had before Naomi’s visit. Since then, she’d put sex on the back burner. Since her men hadn’t mentioned it or made any mention they’d like to continue, she’d gone back to her toy collection. It wasn’t as satisfying as a real man, but it was relief. She knew at this point, Jeff had to make the first move.
Mason buried himself in work. Without distractions, he’d managed to finish a new contract and a program he was designing on his own. He knew Alice and Jeff were on edge. In reality, it seemed the whole household was on edge. Deep inside, he knew they weren’t done with Naomi yet. She’d make at least one more big play. It made him feel sorry for David, who apparently loved her at all costs, and for Jeff, who felt somewhat guilty for the whole situation.
He’d spent most evenings masturbating when both Jeff and Alice were so close-by. It was frustrating, but until Jeff was ready, he and Alice were left hanging in regard to their sexual futures. Mason didn’t think they’d dissolve the business, but he wondered if he might find an apartment nearby. Deep down, he knew if Jeff ever took Naomi back for any reason, Alice would move on. Or at least out of Hudson House. He wouldn’t blame her. He understood from the first time she introduced him to Jeff he was the love of her life. Mason mused that if they’d met a few years later, they would have wound up as a couple. But she was young and had to prove herself in the business world. By the time Jeff contacted her about forming their own corporation, Naomi was sniffing in the background.
He understood how Alice shared herself with him and Jeff. But she would never share Jeff with Naomi. If she walked away for a fresh start, he’d have to make his own decisions. Until they knew for sure Jeff was truly past his ex, everyone was in limbo.
On one of his afternoon walks, he’d wandered to the space over the garages. It was easy to picture it without the storage boxes. With a refrigerator and microwave, he could turn it into a private space. If Naomi came back, he felt he at least had a fallback plan to stay and keep the business going. While it wasn’t his first choice, it would work temporarily until he made decisions about his own future. Damn, I thought we were past all this crap with Naomi. Deep down he believed they were, but until Jeff started acting like his old self, Mason liked the idea of having a contingency plan.
He knew he could branch out on his own, but he hated the politics of the business. Hated the lunches and meetings that went beyond specs and turned into the game that decided if they got the contract or not. Alice was great at those meetings. She could charm any man or woman with ease.
Jeff was the mastermind. He understood how the corporate world worked. As a team, he and Alice were a match. For Mason, he preferred to stay in the lab, away from office buildings and fancy lunches. Deep down he felt Jeff and Alice were a true match. Now if they would realize that fact and act on it, he could get a sex life back and things would be better.
Jeff was fit to be tied, or fit to tie up Alice. He hadn’t been able to utter a word since the valet brought his SUV to the restaurant door. The meeting with their new client had gone well, better than he had expected, thanks to Alice and her easygoing manner. She joked with the clients when appropriate and, when necessary, let her intelligence take over. He’d watched her dazzle them with her smile and stun them with her knowledge. It didn’t hurt that she was wearing a dark-blue dress in a slinky material that crossed her breasts and nipped at her waist. The hem fell just a few inches above her knees. The super-high heels she wore only added to the illusion.
With the contracts safely stowed in his briefcase, all three of them had stood when she excused herself to the restroom after coffee. When she came back, he felt his hackles rise in a way he’d never experienced. She’d taken off her bra, the torture device she considered it to be and let the dress hold her breasts in place. He’d known her long enough to have seen this very move many times. In the past it never bothered him. But today, arriving back at the table he’d noted how the other two men noticed.
He admitted to himself she hadn’t been blatant about the change, but he’d lost his cool. All but hustling her out of the restaurant, he’d spent the ride thus far absolutely fuming. He drove like a crazed man, too fast and passing when unnecessary. Alice had asked him several times what his problem was, but he couldn’t find the words. Since he couldn’t rationalize the feeling to himself, he wasn’t able to explain it to her. All he knew was he had to get home, had to get out of the truck and put some distance between them.
Taking sidelong glances at her, he noted how she was using an imaginary brake and holding onto the strap of her seat belt as if her life depended on it. In reality it did, because he wasn’t in control. The moment he’d seen the other men eyeing her, all he could see was red. It was like a curtain that covered his vision. Even the windshield seemed tinged red, obscuring his vision. As he pulled into the driveway at Hudson House, Alice let out a long-held sigh of relief. She bolted from the truck and turned on him.
“What the fuck is your problem. Were you trying to kill us?”
“Don’t start with me, Alice. You don’t want to be around me right now.” He took a deep, shuddering breath. “Just get out of my sight.” And she did, all but marching to the house. He noted she didn’t wobble on the high heels. If she had, he probably would have laughed and his mood would be over. She didn’t. Instead, she strutted with confidence from his vision. �
�Son of a bitch,” he said aloud. “What the fuck is happening to me?” He, too, headed to the house but bypassed the kitchen, heading straight to the office. As he opened the door to the lab, he watched her drop her coat and scarf over the end of a desk. She was talking animatedly to Mason.
“I don’t know what his problem is? We got the contract…” She paused when he entered the room.
“Congratulations. Alice just told me you signed the new client.” Mason waited for an answer but only got a grunt from Jeff as he passed by, grabbing Alice by the arm and all but dragging her into their playroom. She started to struggle, and he didn’t want to hurt her so he grasped her around the waist, hoisted her onto this shoulder, and walked with purpose to the rear of their space. When she started to wiggle, he slapped her butt. She stilled, but he could tell she wasn’t happy.
“What is your problem? Have you gone completely insane?”
When she tried to get down a second time, he spanked her again. Turning back to Mason, he said, “Join us.” He didn’t add the rest of his thought, which was, if you dare!
In the playroom, he tossed her onto one of the chaise lounges. She landed and bounced on the soft cushion. All he could do was stand over her, trying to catch a breath and trying to understand his own actions. Alice looked at him like he was crazy, and maybe she was right at that very second.
“You asshole, what is wrong? I thought you’d be happy we got the contract.” He watched her struggle from the cushion to stand. She glared at him as only she could and turned on her heel to leave. He grasped her around the waist and, in a few steps, had her front pressed against the wall beside the door.
“You drive me crazy, Alice,” he said.
“Why? What the hell happened?” She was breathing hard, too, but she was still in front of him. “Jeff…”
“Did you do it on purpose to see their reaction? Did you do it to see my reaction?”