by Adams,Claire
“Let’s go inside,” Rose said.
After we took a seat and ordered our coffees, I said, “I must say, I am curious to know what information you might have with regards to one of my clients.”
“Well, first of all let’s cut to the chase, Ms. Winston,” Rose told me. “We both know the client that me and all of New York are most interested in right now is the wealthy and powerful Mr. Miles Brigham IV.”
I had of course known who the client was that interested Rose, but I was determined to let her do all of the talking during this particular meeting. I only nodded slightly, and she went on. “I’m sure you’ve read my piece on him by now?” I again nodded. “I am in touch with a source who knows quite a bit about your client and his family. This source of mine is helping me build my piece, but is also concerned about you being drawn into the mess known as the Brigham family.”
I couldn’t help myself; I had to ask, “Why would this ‘source’ of yours have any concerns about me?”
“Let’s just say they do. and leave it at that,” Rose said. “This person has some pretty convincing evidence that Mr. Brigham and his devil’s brood are guilty of many things other than arrogance and vulgar wealth. They asked me to tell you that you would possibly be placing yourself in danger by agreeing to represent them.”
I arched an eyebrow. Who did this little sprite think she was telling me who I should and should not “represent?” Surely, she didn’t think I would be so simple minded as to dump my client on her say so alone. She must be up to something else, but I couldn’t figure out just what yet. When I sat quiet long enough to make Rose uncomfortable, she said,
“Miles Brigham IV had everything to do with his third wife’s murder and everything to do with the murder of Vick Landon, as well. I intend to prove it, and my source was kind enough to ask me to warn you before I brought the Brigham empire crumbling down. You can do what you wish with the information.”
With that, the arrogant young girl stood and put her bag on her shoulder. I looked up at her and said, “So that’s it, you brought me here to warn me that I may or may not be in danger and that you have some anonymous source who has some investment in my personal safety. You will not, however, tell me whom that source may be or what this so called evidence is that we have against my client. I think you have wasted my time, Ms. Dugan. I charge hundreds an hour for my time, I don’t have any to spare for playing games.”
Rose smiled. The smile made her look like a kid who knew something that her mother didn’t. “I warned you like I was asked, and here’s one more warning, Ms. Winston. You may be charging Mr. Brigham hundreds of dollars an hour for your services, but be careful. He plays with people’s lives just for fun.”
And with that, she walked out the door, leaving me to wonder what the hell that had even been about.
CHAPTER THREE
ADAM
I had another excruciatingly busy day and to make it even worse, I wasn’t going to have time to meet Alicia for dinner. I grabbed a rose off of my assistant’s desk and knocked on Alicia’s door around five.
“Come in!”
I pushed open the door and found her still at work behind her desk. She looked up at me and smiled. God, she’s gorgeous even with her hair falling out of the loose bun she had it tangled in and most of her make-up rubbed off from her hours of pouring over paperwork. I held out the rose to her and said, “I’m afraid I can’t make dinner tonight, baby. But can I have a rain check?”
She took the rose and smiled, “I suppose. It’s kind of been an exhausting day, anyways. I think a bubble bath and a cup of tea is just what the doctor ordered.” I waited for her to pack up her things and put the files on her desk in Carla’s basket so that she could take them back to records in the morning. Then, I walked her out to the parking garage.
It seemed like she was debating whether to tell me something important, but she stayed silent. I thought about asking her about it, but had so many things on my mind and a team still inside waiting for me, so I selfishly decided to wait and maybe she’d tell me at another time when I was not so overwhelmed.
When we reached her car, she pressed the unlock button on the fob in her hand and then I took her into my arms and gave her a long, deep kiss. When we came up for air, I held her back so I could look at her pretty, flushed face. It suddenly morphed into a look of disgust when she spotted something over my shoulder. I turned and saw Marjorie. I felt like losing my lunch. She had that permanent nasty smirk on her face.
“What the hell? Marjorie, what are you doing here?”
“I was meeting my lawyer for dinner, and I just thought I’d come by and let you know. I didn’t want you coming home to eat with me like you did last night and finding that I wasn’t home.”
The bitch was trying to cause trouble as usual. I turned back toward Alicia quickly. “She’s lying. I did not have dinner with her last night. I was here, working.”
Marjorie feigned a serious look and said, “Oh dear, was I not supposed to say anything in front of the little woman?”
I spun around on her and before she had time to back up, I was in her face. “Shut the hell up, Marjorie! Shut your nasty, lying mouth! I wish you were dead, you know that? If I thought you were worth it, I would kill you myself.”
Marjorie didn’t even flinch. She wasn’t afraid of me because although I talked a good game, we both knew I’d never follow through with the violence she made swell in my veins. She laughed instead and said, “Such passion. Love and hate are such closely related emotions, aren’t they? Do you remember what amazing sex we used to have after a roaring fight?”
Every muscle in my body tightened and for a fraction of a second, I thought I just might be able to do it. Maybe I could kill the bitch. I felt Alicia’s hand on my arm and heard her say,
“She’s not worth it, Adam.”
Marjorie still didn’t seem to realize she’d just almost pushed me too far. She smiled at both of us before turning and heading for the garage elevator. Just before the doors slid closed, she blew me a kiss. It turned my stomach and I felt Alicia’s hand tense against my arm. “I didn’t have dinner with her.”
Alicia put her hand up on my face and said, “I know.” I pressed my face into her palm and then slid it over to my lips and kissed it. “Enjoy your bath and quiet time.”
“I will. You don’t stay too late. You can come and sleep at my place tonight. You need to get some rest.”
I nodded. I probably wouldn’t just because I hated the idea of letting Marjorie have my place to herself. She made my blood boil. I kissed Alicia’s cheek and she slid into the car.
As I closed her door I heard myself say, “I really do wish she was dead.” I don’t think I meant to say that out loud. I know Alicia despises her, but me talking about her being dead couldn’t be sitting well with her. At this point I was too exhausted and too fed up to care what anyone thought. I was sick to death of my life being ruled by an evil, ungrateful bitch and I’d do just about anything at this point to just make her go away.
********
I stayed at the office until after ten. I was so tired by the time I got into my car that I was glad I wasn’t driving. I actually saw spots in front of my eyes. I said a little prayer that Marjorie would be out when I got home, but it went unanswered, as usual. I walked into the penthouse to find her on the couch in her lounging outfit, painting her toenails and drinking a glass of wine. She had a fire roaring in the fireplace and the surround sound playing smooth jazz. She makes me sick. I tossed my keys on the table in the foyer and turned toward my bedroom.
“You don’t want to have a glass of wine with me? You look like you could use a little unwinding.”
I looked at her with fire in my eyes and said, “I won’t be unwound until you are out of my life once and for all.”
She smiled. “Don’t count on that being any time soon.” Once again, rage hissed through my body. I took a step toward her, but caught myself and instead turned back toward the hallw
ay and went to my room. I closed and locked the door behind me before ripping off my tie and jacket. I pulled my phone out of my pocket then and called Alicia. She was the only thing that could calm me down where Marjorie was concerned.
“Hi, baby. What are you doing?” I was practically whispering. I was feeling paranoid like Marjorie was listening at the door. I didn’t want her being any part of my conversation with Alicia.
“Hi, I’m taking a bath. I wish you were here.” My mind pictured that and I groaned and then it dawned on me that she was headed home to take a bath hours ago.
“What took you so long to get your bubble bath?”
“Why are you whispering?”
I sighed. “Marjorie’s in the other room. I don’t want her overhearing us – she doesn’t need any more ammunition to torture us with.”
I could hear the change in Alicia’s voice at the mention of Marjorie’s name, but she was supportive anyways as she said, “I’m sorry, baby. Maybe Monday it will be all over, huh?”
“God, I hope so. It has to be. Let’s not talk about her any more though, please. Tell me about your evening and why you’re getting your bath so late.”
“I went shopping. I realized I haven’t even decorated for Christmas yet or started my gift shopping. While I was out, I bumped into Jack Grant, my friend from the U.K.” I felt a tightening in my chest. I counted to ten in my head before saying,
“He seems to have a knack for bumping into you when you’re alone.”
“He was Christmas shopping, Adam. No evil intentions there, I assure you.”
I felt like a jealous ass. “I’m sorry, baby. Everything that’s been going on lately has given me the eerie feeling that there are evil intentions all around us.”
“I suppose I can’t blame you there,” she said. “We just can’t let all of this change the way we think about people. Everyone is not like Marjorie, or the Brigham’s, for that matter.”
“Thank God,” I said, wearily. “I think I should turn in for the night, so that we can deal with people such as Marjorie and the Brigham’s again bright and early tomorrow morning.”
“I love you, Adam,” she said. It’s funny how much better I feel hearing her say that in her cute little British accent. “Everything will be okay, soon.”
“I wish you knew how much I appreciate you.”
“I do know, love. I do believe it will be better soon. It has to get better, right?”
“I suppose it can’t get much worse.” It could, though. She could leave me. Now that this guy “Jack” was sneaking around, that could even be another nail in my coffin. Shit! I was getting way too paranoid. I needed to get some sleep. “I love you, too,” I told her before hanging up the call. I undressed down to my boxers and collapsed on my bed. It was only seconds before I slipped into a deep, dreamless sleep.
CHAPTER FOUR
ALICIA
I put the phone back down on the side of the tub after I talked to Adam and sighed as I dipped back down into the sudsy, warm bubbles. I felt horrible for him, but I also felt bad for me. He should be here or I should be there and Marjorie shouldn’t be anywhere in our solar system.
I closed my eyes and heard the sound of his voice when he said Jack had been “bumping into me” a lot lately. I wasn’t happy that he was jealous per se, but at least maybe it gave him just a taste of how I have to feel every time he was with Marjorie, only ten times worse, considering he was still married to her. Jack and I had really only bumped into each other again, just this time not literally.
On the way home, I’d decided I still had too much nervous energy after the run in with Marjorie to relax. Instead, I headed down to Times Square where the shops were all still open late for holiday preparations and began my Christmas shopping.
I walked from shop to shop, picking out things that I thought my mom and dad would like. I found a gorgeous pashmina for Kyla, and bought several small holiday baskets for assorted people from the office. By the time I reached the last shop, my arms were so full of packages that I could hardly carry them all. The last shop was a jewelry store that offered custom designed items. I found exactly what I was looking for as a gift for Adam. I placed an order for a watch and inscribed it with the words,
“My boss, my mentor, my lover, my friend. Always, Alicia”
After I left there, I stopped in to a quaint little coffee shop on my way back to the garage where I left my car and ordered an extra-large latte. As I sat down at the nearest table to the counter and relieved myself of the weight of the packages, I slipped off my heels, too, and for the first time since seeing Marjorie in the parking garage at work, I began to relax.
“Wow, I hope you have a sleigh outside to carry all of that home in.” The voice startled me until I looked up and realized it was Jack. He was standing next to the table dressed in a pair of blue jeans and a black polo shirt, wearing that sexy lopsided grin that used to take my breath away.
I laughed and said, “That would be nice, actually, because maybe there would be a few elves out there to help me carry it all.”
“Well then, tonight is your lucky night,” he said as he sat down without an invitation,
“My other persona is an elf, and I was born to be a helper and a giver.”
I smiled, and asked him, “Do you have a crystal ball that helped you to find me this evening or were you just out shopping, as well?”
“Shopping,” he said, grinning again. “Unfortunately. That crystal ball thing would have been really cool.” We sat for a while, sipping our coffee and talking again, like hardly any time had passed between us. By the time we were ready to leave, I had laughed so much that my cheeks hurt and I had hardly allowed Marjorie to enter my thoughts once.
“Thank you, Jack. I needed this.”
“What? Coffee with an elf?” he asked playfully.
“Yes, an elf that can make me laugh and forget my problems for a bit was exactly what I needed.”
“Well then,” he said with a mock bow, “I am so glad I could be of service to you.”
Jack helped me gather up my bags and insisted on carrying most of them to my car. I gave him a hug and a kiss on the cheek before getting into the car. “Thank you again. I had a wonderful evening,”
“You’re welcome, again,” he said. “So did I. Do you need me to follow you home and help you get this stuff up to your apartment?”
“No, thank you. The doorman will help me. He’s a very nice man.”
Jack looked disappointed, but said, “Okay, be safe and have a good night. I am looking forward to our dinner on Friday night.”
“Me, too,” I said as I got in the car.
Jack had stood there and watched me drive away. As I glanced in the rearview mirror before I pulled out of the lot I found it a little strange that he was still rooted to the spot I had left him in and watching me. I wasn’t going to admit that to Adam, though, especially since my imagination was probably simply going crazy because of all of the stress.
********
Adam and I didn’t see each other outside of the office again until Friday afternoon. He had sent a message to me through Mary inviting me out to lunch. He had been in meetings all morning outside of the office, so we decided to meet at a café we both liked in Manhattan. Adam met me out in front and gave me a long, sweet kiss.
“God, I missed you,” he told me when he had finally let me go.
“I missed you, too.” We went inside and were seated at a table near a big window. While we waited for our lunch, I asked him about his meetings and then finally addressed the elephant standing between us.
“How have things been with Marjorie?"
Adam made a face like he had tasted something sour. “The good news is, I’ve been so busy with work, I’ve hardly had to see her. The bad news is, I did have to see her a few times coming and going. I can hardly stomach looking at that woman. I can’t imagine what I ever saw in her to begin with.”
“Well, I wasn’t going to ask, but…”
“I would probably understand it better if you had told me you were smoking crack when you proposed,” I said with a giggle.
“Me, too, actually,” Adam admitted. He turned serious then. I was glad when our lunch came and he was at least distracted for a time while we ate. Feeling bad about bringing Marjorie up, I changed the subject to Christmas and what I planned on making for dinner Christmas Eve.
“Do you think you’ll have any time next week to go and buy a tree with me?”
“I will do my absolute best,” he said. “I haven’t bought a Christmas tree in years.” I was about to ask about his and Marjorie’s Christmases, but caught myself. He was looking at his watch anyways, and I knew he was on the verge of leaving.
“Time flies, huh?”
He smiled. “Unfortunately, only when I’m with you. I do have to get back, babe. Miles’ trial begins right after the New Year. There are so damn many witnesses to interview. Each time I think we’re close to finishing up, someone else gets added to the list.”
“I have a lot to do at the office this afternoon, too,” I told him.
“And, your date with the old flame tonight, right?” Adam asked. He was smiling, but it was a tight one.
“Adam, you aren’t truly upset that I’m having dinner with Jack, are you?”
“No,” he said as he signed the credit card receipt the waitress had brought him. “I’m just jealous that he gets to spend the time out with you and not me, and honestly, baby, I’m still a little uneasy about how he seems to keep turning up everywhere you go.”
We walked outside arm in arm and stopped on the sidewalk. I rose up on my toes so I could look into his eyes and said, “He’s only ‘turned up’ twice, actually. And, if it helps to know this at all, I’d rather be with you, than anyone, anytime.”