Elliott sat in silence as he took in all that Renee was saying to him. He was really surprised when she told him that she was going to be making a TV appearance. He had managed to keep his family out of the spotlight during and after the trial, and he wasn’t especially excited about her getting involved with the media. However, he could see that was determined and excited about setting things into motion. He knew he had to be careful with what he was about to say to her.
“Renee, I just want to say this. You don’t have to work so hard. I see how much you have to do around here with the kids. I want for us to be able to enjoy them, spend as much time as we can with them. I want to be able to spend as much uninterrupted time with you as possible. I know this will sound selfish of me, but I just don’t want for there to be any unnecessary distractions for you. I’m so used to having you here and knowing that you keep everything here intact. I just don’t want things to change. And trust me when I say this, getting started with making TV appearances is going to put you in the spotlight. Once they see you and hear you, the will want more and more of you. Just let me take care of you.”
She listened to everything that he said, and even though she was slightly miffed that he didn’t seem to think that she would be able to manage their personal lives while maintaining a professional life, she tried not to show it. She couldn’t be too upset with him, though. She knew that he wanted to provide the life for her and the babies that he wasn’t able to provide for her when she Matt and Kayla were small. Now, it was her turn to keep a neutral tone. “There’s no need to worry. I’ve done all of this before. Our lives and the babies will always come first, Elliott. You know that. I wouldn’t do anything to compromise us. I know that you are more than capable of taking care of everything, but please understand that my business is something that I enjoy. As far as TV appearances, it’s only one. Once word got out on social media that the salons and products would definitely be available here, I was asked to come onto the show just to give some general information.”
Elliott heard what she was telling him, and though he still didn’t want her to go through with her plans, he could see that she wanted to do it and that she would do it. He sighed and said, “Okay, but I really do wish you’d give it some more thought. I know that you’ve already decided to move ahead with it, and I’m here if you need me for anything.” He stood up from the lounger and held out his hand to help her up. “We’d better go in. It’s getting cold and late.”
They both felt the tension in the air as they walked back into the house in silence. When they went to bed that night, they only kissed and said “good-night.” Neither of them slept very well.
Chapter 15
Construction for The Skin and Hair Boutique-Beverly Hills was well underway. Renee had just finished visiting the salon and meeting with the contractor who told her that everything was running as scheduled. She had so much to do and so very little time to do it. Kayla was leaving in a few days, Liza and E were in town visiting, Dennis and Sharon were scheduled to come into town the next day, and the following week she was scheduled to appear on the Good Morning show.
When she got into the car to head to her appointment with the decorator, she called Liza to see if she would mind watching the twins for another hour. They were walking now and were into everything. “I’m sorry to ask, but I promise to make treat you to one of my fabulous dishes when I get home.”
Liza and E were staying in their new LA house while they visited for a few days. “Take your time,” Liza replied. “I’m having a great time spoiling your little munchkins. Elliott came by earlier with the kids and now he and Joe are doing guy stuff. They dropped your parents off at Ben and Lena’s. You might want to call Elliott to let him know you’re going to your next appointment. He said he was going to drop by the salon while you were there.”
Renee ended her call with Liza and called Elliott. His phone went to his voicemail, so she left him a message letting him know that she was on her way to see the decorator.
As Elliott and E pulled into the parking area, he looked for Renee’s car, but didn’t see it. The only vehicles there were the construction vans and a car that he didn’t recognize. When he got out of his car, he saw Jonathan talking to one of the crew. Elliott was seething mad, but played it cool.
The construction manager recognized Elliott. “You just missed Renee,” he informed her. She went to an appointment with the decorator.”
Elliott looked around the salon and was very impressed with the progress that the team was making. E walked toward the back of the building where the massage and beauty treatments would be done. Jonathan was walking out of the area just as E was into it.
Not one to mince words, E cut to the chase. He said to Jonathan, “And you are . . .?
“I’m Jonathan Hall.” He gave a friendly business-like smile to E and extended his hand for an intended handshake.
E knew exactly who Jonathan was. Liza had told him about how he had tailed Renee around while they were in Vegas. Elliott had also told him about Jonathan’s obvious attraction to Renee.
As Elliott and the construction manager approached the area where E and Jonathan were standing, Elliott said, “Are you stalking my wife?”
Jonathan was not accustomed to people being so direct with him. Rather, people typically cowered around him. However, Jonathan had seen Elliott in action during the highly-televised court case, so he shouldn’t have been surprised.
“I just happened to be passing through and saw construction being done . . .”
Before Jonathan could finish answering, Elliott said to him, “Because it seems like you are. Get out . . . now.” Elliott stared directly into Jonathan’s eyes, taking in everything about him. He noted the challenging look in Jonathan’s eyes and the smirk on his face. Before, he was just a nuisance, but Elliott could see that Jonathan was going to be a real problem that he would have to deal with. In fact, he already had started dealing with him. Since the night that Elliott spotted Jonathan at the restaurant staring at Renee, he had started checking into Jonathan’s credentials. To say that he was shady was putting it mildly.
Game on, Jonathan thought to himself as he left. He shoved his hands into his pockets and balled them into fists. He was beyond pissed, but he whistled as he strode out of Renee’s salon. He knew better than to publicly tangle with Elliott, but he had an idea as to how he would set things into motion so that Renee, her babies, and her business would be his.
~~~~
Once Jonathan got home later that evening, he started devising a plan. Now that he knew where Renee would be on a daily basis, there wasn’t anything Elliott could do or say that would keep him from seeing her and eventually having her for himself. After his phone call to one of his associates, he was confident that his plan would work. He had witnessed the scene that played out in the restaurant a few months ago when Renee was still pregnant. That time, it had been a coincidence that he was at the restaurant the same night as Renee and her gorgeous kids. The other times, though, had been no coincidence. He’d hired someone to keep dibs on her. He didn’t really understand what was going on, but he did gather that there was some sort of tension between Renee and a woman who he knew to be her mother. Elliott had intervened and backed Maggie down. Jonathan’s methods to getting his way were subtle and underhanded. He reveled in the knowledge that he had gotten wealthy by intimidating, tricking, and undermining others. He loved seeing the shock and horror on the face of people once they realized they had been screwed over by him. The same way he was going to enjoy the look on Elliott’s face when Renee and her babies leave him, and the way he was going to enjoy giving and taking pleasure from Renee’s body day and night. Just the idea of it all had him stroking his cock as he envisioned Renee writhing and moaning beneath him.
~~~~
Once they got into the car, Elliott checked his phone and saw that he had missed a call from Renee. “Baby, where are you right now?” He sounded calm and collected, but his mind was working at
100 miles an hour.
“I’m on my way to Michelle’s Beautiful Things to pick up a few pieces for Kayla.”
“Go over to Liza’s and wait there for me and E. We’ll be there in few minutes.”
“I’ll just run in and back out. She already . . . “ she started to say.
Elliott cut in. “Renee, listen to me. Go to Liza and E’s and wait there. We’ll be there in a bit, okay? Please just do it.”
Renee was completely confused and more than a little concerned. Elliott wasn’t usually so insistent, but for some reason he felt like this was really important. She sighed and said, “Okay, yes. I’m on my way to Liza’s right now. Can you tell me what’s going on?”
“I’ll explain when we get there.” Elliott ended the call and immediately called Robert. He explained to him what was going on. “Yeah, we’re heading over to E’s right now.”
Liza and Renee were sitting in the living room when Elliott and E arrived. “Elliott, what in the world is going on? I really need to get some things done finished before the salon opens and before Kayla leaves.”
“We just left your salon. When we got there, Jonathan was there talking to the construction crew like he owns the place. Did you see him when you were there, or had you already left?”
“Yes, he was there. I was really surprised, but I didn’t think too much about it because I was busy talking to the construction manager and crew, and thinking about all of the other stuff that needs to be done. He left before I did.”
E had gone into his office to make a few calls and when he came out, he had some interesting news. “I did some checking and Jonathan is into a bunch of shady crap. Looks like he’s made all of his money by tricking people. If you look up con artist in the dictionary, I’m pretty sure his picture will be right there beside it.”
Robert and Kim came over. Robert said, “I already called Dad. He’ll get a couple of his guys to keep an eye on him and see what else they can come up with. In the meantime, he said that Renee needs to keep as low a profile as possible until they figure out how dangerous this guy is. He hasn’t done anything inappropriate as far as Renee is concerned yet, but he has become bolder in his actions.”
Renee reminded everyone of the going-away party that had been planned for Kayla. “We’re going to Asia de Cuba. It’s one of her favorite places and I really hate the idea of having to change plans. Besides, Jonathan probably got the message and won’t be stupid enough to keep coming around.”
Liza said, “You really need to listen to what Robert’s dad said, Renee. You’re right, Jonathan isn’t stupid, but he’s bold. I mean, he made himself a constant presence when we were in Vegas. He knew then that you were already spoken for, yet he persisted. And now he’s still persisting.”
Kim agreed with the rest of the group. “Listen, I know it has to be frustrating with so much left to be done with your salon, but Robert’s dad knows what he’s talking about. Laying low is best at this point.”
“Well, what about Kay’s party. I can’t just let her go without doing something for her. She leaves in two days, Elliott. And next week I am scheduled to be on Good Morning. I really can’t just stop everything at this point.” Renee was very frustrated with this situation.
“We’ll figure something out, Renee. Don’t worry about it. We’ll still have the get-together for Kayla. I wouldn’t even think about not doing something for her and with her before she leaves, but we’ll have to do it in a more private setting. As far as the morning show, I know you don’t want to reschedule your appearance, so if I’m not able to go with you to the studio that day, I will arrange a car and driver for you.”
E said, “I’ve already called my office to let them know that we’ll be staying here for a bit longer.” He turned to Liza, “You’re going to call your office tomorrow and let them know that you will be on an extended leave.” Liza, typically not the type to take orders, nodded her head in agreement. She and E weren’t going to leave until they knew that their closest friends were safe.
By this time, Noah and Noelle had awakened. After Renee fed them and got them settled down, she said, “It’s getting late. The kids are tired and I’m sure everyone else is, too. It’s been a really long day. We’re going to go home and get some rest.”
When Renee and Elliott got home and got the kids settled into bed, Elliott went into Renee’s office, where she was looking over some spreadsheets that had been sent to her by the accounting department. “You need to get some rest, baby. Like you said, it’s been a long day and we’re all tired. The kids finally went to sleep, and I ran a bath with your favorite oils in it.”
Renee removed her glasses and rubbed the bridge of her nose. “You’re right. I can finish this up tomorrow. Since I need to approve some budgets, go over the orders of products for the salon, and a ton of other things, I guess it’s just as well that I’ll be holed up here for a while.
Elliott knew that Renee was frustrated and worried. “Look, baby, I know all of this is hard, but I have to make sure my family is safe, and if that means you have to spend the majority of your time here, then that’s the way it’s going to be.”
Renee knew that her husband was not going to bend on this and her reasonable side told her that he was doing the right thing. Her busy, hectic home, work, kids side made her feel frustrated that she would have to figure out a way to handle everything on her agenda. “I know you’re right, baby. It’s just this whole mess just has me so mad. I mean, seriously, what does Jonathan think is going to happen?”
“Well,” Elliott started, “it seems that he thinks he’s going to take my place. When I was talking to Robert earlier, he said that his dad told him that guys like him live in a fantasy world. He’s very smart and is well-educated. He’s also very cunning and has made all of his money by swindling people out of theirs. He’s used to getting his way and has decided that he is going to have you.”
“Oh.” Renee said. The gravity of the situation was settling in and now she felt very unsettled. “Elliott, you know that would never happen. I would never, ever let that happen. I know you’re protecting us and I love you more than you can know for that. And since I have to be holed up, I couldn’t ask for a more beautiful home to be holed into. I’ll even have built-in entertainment with the kids.”
He took both of her hands and she stood up and kissed him softly on the lips. Elliott pulled her close and said, “Let’s go get into that bath before the water gets cold.”
Renee led the way out of her office. As they were walking into their bedroom, she said, “I thought you said the bath was for me.”
Elliott’s gaze darkened and he said, “Uh-uh. I said I ran a bath with your favorite oils in it. I didn’t say you would be getting into that bath alone.”
Happy for the change of subject, they both undressed and eased into the warm, fragrant bath.
Chapter 16
Instead of going to Cuba de Asia as previously planned, Kayla’s party was held at her grandparent’s home. In light of everything that was going on Jonathan’s stalking of Renee, everyone decided it would be best to have the celebration close to home. Lena and Ben hired a chef to come into their home to prepare dinner for the occasion.
Kayla almost changed her mind about leaving once she found out about what was going on with Renee. “I’m going to stay around until this is all taken care of. I’ll just put in a call and tell them that a family issue has come up. I’m sure they’ll understand.”
“No,” Renee said to Kayla. “You’re not going to do that because of me. As much as I hate to see you leave, you really need to do this. Everything here is going to be fine, and a lot of people here are taking care of everything. I can’t believe I’m saying this to you, but I really want you to go. This is a wonderful opportunity for you, and you’re going to do great things. I’m going to be fine.”
After dinner, the group moved from the spacious dining room to the living room. Dennis and Sharon had come into town and Kayla was sitting on the co
uch visiting with them. Sharon had asked Kayla if she was excited about everything. “I really am,” Kayla told her. “It will be so different without Mom and Matt there, but I’m a big girl, so I’ll be fine. It really does help, though, that Mom and Dad are letting me stay in their house until I find something in the city.” Renee and Elliott had offered to let Kayla live in the house that he had purchased when he was there previously, and she readily accepted.
Noah and Noelle were toddling around, and climbing onto every piece of furniture that they could get their chubby little bodies onto. Matt scooped up Noelle and carried her over to Kayla and their grandparents were sitting. “Hey, short-stack,” he teased. Kayla smiled at Matt, but her eyes were misting. She reached over and tickled the bottoms of Noelle’s little feet, causing her to giggle loudly.
“Hey sky-scraper,” she teased back, the unshed tear falling down her gorgeous face. “I’m going to miss you calling me that every day, you know?”
Matt felt the same way. He was going to miss his twin sister terribly. When he found out that she was going back to New York, he was sad, but he didn’t want to show her that. He wanted his sister to go out and have the great life that she deserved. He was pissed that Mik had hurt her so much, but he knew that Kayla would meet someone who would love everything about her. Still, it would be hard not being able to see her on a whim.
“Hey, girl, now don’t do that, okay? You know I don’t know what to do with a crying woman.” His voice cracked a bit on the last bit of his sentence.
Kayla swiped at the tear that had landed on her cheek. “Yeah, I know. Remember the time you tried to cut my bangs and they ended up all the way in my hairline? I started crying like there was no tomorrow because they were sooooo bad, and I knew Mom would blame me because I had been nagging her to cut them for me, but she kept saying no, so I got you to do it. You kept patting my arm and pacing back and forth, saying please Kay, don’t cry. They’ll only be ugly for a little while, and then before you know it, you’ll have hair again.”
A Couple of Forevers (This Time Forever Book 2) Page 15