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CardsNeverLie

Page 21

by Heather Hiestand


  “Did that placement agency that Rob sent you to get you the interview?”

  At Brisa’s nod, Melanie said, “Maybe I should sign up with them.” She picked the Twinkie off the floor and set it on the table under Brisa’s watchful gaze.

  “I thought you were offered a job at LeatherWorks?”

  “After your experience, you think I should work there?”

  “I think all the diversity training they’re going to do will turn those guys into humans.”

  Melanie opened her mouth then shut it again, frustrated. There was a bigger problem and really, the only one she cared about at this point. “But what about Rob?”

  “What about him?”

  “I can’t date my new boss,” Melanie reminded her. “You know I have principles about these things.”

  Brisa rubbed her hand across her eyes. “Will you be working directly for him?”

  “I expect so.”

  She grimaced. “Rats. You’re right, you don’t want to do that. Everyone will think you’re getting special treatment.” She considered. “I don’t suppose you could keep it a secret?”

  Melanie laughed. “With the sparks flying between us like they do? I doubt it.”

  “Then it’s not an option.”

  “So which do I pick? The job or the man?”

  “The job,” Brisa said in a flat voice.

  Melanie’s eyes widened. “Really? You were the one who thought I should date him.”

  “You need to keep employed. You’re only going to work there for a few months, right? Until LeatherWorks is sold. If he’s worth it, he’ll wait that long. You can be friends.”

  “So you agree that I can’t do both?” Melanie wheedled.

  “I’m sure of it.” Brisa snagged the Twinkie and opened the package then broke the treat in two and gave Melanie half.

  Melanie stared at the creamy mess in her hand. “I cancelled one date with him, but I can’t stop thinking about him. We’re supposed to go away for the weekend tomorrow.”

  “Don’t do it,” Brisa warned, waving the cake at her.

  Melanie raised an eyebrow. “I’m not working for him yet.”

  “Why don’t I tell you a cautionary tale?” Brisa tossed back her Twinkie half in one bite, as if it were a shot of tequila.

  “A horror story?” Melanie licked her fingers.

  “Yeah.” Brisa laughed sharply. “The story of my life.” She settled against the arm of the couch.

  Melanie gave Brisa’s hand a squeeze. Her cousin held on tight.

  “My first year of college,” she said. “I didn’t find my classes too hard so I partied a lot. And drinking led to unprotected sex and that led to getting pregnant.”

  “Ethan?”

  Brisa shook her head. “I didn’t want my parents to know. I was friends with a girl who was graduating and she got me a job as a receptionist in Los Angeles.”

  “We moved into a house with three other girls to save money. When I was about four months pregnant, I miscarried. It was really awful and I was supposed to rest for a couple of weeks because I lost so much blood. But I was so upset. I didn’t pay any attention to my doctor’s orders. I started partying with one of my wilder roommates. A stripper.”

  Melanie could see where this story was going. It amazed her that her cousin could have been so dumb. The two-year age difference between them had given Brisa an aura of maturity to her younger cousin that had clearly been imaginary. Of course, Melanie’s own romp with Gerald hadn’t been any more intelligent.

  “Partying didn’t help matters for someone who was already run-down. Who knows? I may even have brought the miscarriage on in the first place by not taking care of myself. I got fired after too many sick calls on Mondays and going home early because I didn’t feel well.”

  “So you became a stripper,” Melanie said.

  “Exactly. And you made a lot more money as a stripper if you also did movies. You’d get featured then. I had the hospital bill to pay off. I had met Drew by then too. I got really drunk one night and slept with him. But afterward, he bought me a little diamond solitaire on a chain. It made me feel appreciated, so I kept sleeping with him. And when he asked, I acted in a movie he was producing.”

  Melanie shook her head. “And it made you a star.”

  “Funny, huh? Usually girls are in movie after movie and are worn out and full of disease after a year. But I didn’t like fucking in front of a camera and refused to do any more. Drew wasn’t very nice, even slapped me around a bit.”

  “Oh Brisa,” Melanie choked back her cry of alarm. How could this have remained a secret for so long? How deep had Brisa buried her terrible story? “I can’t even imagine this.”

  “Don’t,” Brisa said flatly and continued the story, though her eyes took on a sheen of tears. “I went back to dancing. Within a couple of months of doing the movie, I was pregnant again, this time from Drew. I had terrible morning sickness. I was probably still not recovered from the miscarriage—it had been less than a year. I knew Drew would make me have an abortion and I didn’t want one. I resolved to change my life.”

  Brisa clutched Melanie’s hand as she finished the story for her. “So you came back home.”

  “Yes. And the moral of the story is, it never would have happened if I hadn’t lost my job.” Brisa grinned weakly and rubbed at her eyes. “Not that you’ll end up a stripper. But you know what I mean. Take the job. The man can wait.”

  Melanie’s life was vastly different from the life Brisa had chosen over a decade before and Rob was no Drew. But like Brisa, her life was in a vulnerable stage and she needed to put her needs first. Before sex, before love. “You’re right.”

  “So you’re going to take the job?”

  Melanie nodded. “It’s the smart decision. But what about you? How are you managing?”

  Brisa shrugged, pushed her hair back and started to braid it. “Fine. It’s been a little less than a month since I quit. Thank goodness Ethan doesn’t go to private school!” At the mention of her son, she pursed her lips.

  “What’s wrong?”

  Brisa looked down. “I told you I got a call that I wish I hadn’t.”

  Melanie put a hand to her mouth. She hated to say it. “Drew Huntley?”

  Brisa nodded.

  “Oh my god.” Melanie ran the words together. “I’m so sorry he found you. It’s all my fault.”

  A tear dripped down Brisa’s cheek. “It was purely an accident. Don’t worry.”

  Melanie pulled a handkerchief from her pocket and handed it to Brisa. “What’s he going to do?”

  “I don’t know.” She laughed lightly. “He suggested I make a comeback.”

  “What did you say?” The memory of that greasy-haired, evil man made Melanie’s flesh crawl. She felt a wave of protectiveness crash over her. She wouldn’t let that man harm her family. “Does he know about Ethan?”

  Brisa twisted the handkerchief in her hands. “No, I don’t think so. Anyway, I told him I’d left the business.”

  “What did he say?” Melanie gripped the table.

  “Something foul, like once a whore always a whore, only worse.”

  “I was terrified of him,” Melanie admitted.

  “I don’t blame you. After I found out I was pregnant again, I sobered up and realized what I had done with my life. Drew went from seeming good-looking and sort of charming in an oily way to a repulsive monster.”

  “He’s certainly that now.” Melanie shuddered.

  Brisa nodded. “Believe me, I got over him quickly.”

  “Do you really owe him money?”

  Brisa hesitated. “I had an advance from his company for a second movie, which I never completed.”

  “Two thousand dollars?” Melanie suggested, the amount burned into her brain.

  Brisa drummed her fingers on the table as she thought. “No, not that much. Maybe five hundred.”

  “So now he wants it back plus interest.”

  Brisa’s face hard
ened, making her look older for a moment. “He offered a cash deal in a cash world. I’m not giving him eleven years of interest on a debt like that.”

  But then her face contorted, as if she held back tears and she was the Brisa Melanie knew again. “He had the gall to suggest I work it off.”

  “You won’t be doing that,” Melanie said briskly. But she knew Huntley would have to be dealt with sometime. “I think you should pay him the five hundred, at least.”

  “No. I won’t do it,” Brisa cried. “I’ve tried to tell myself that he gave me Ethan and anything else Drew could do was worth it to have him. But I still have nightmares.” Brisa’s voice had become soft, with a tremble Melanie had never heard before.

  Melanie remembered the helpless feeling she had had in Las Vegas when she hadn’t been able to escape without Rob’s aid. He had been able to reason with the evil man in a way she hadn’t. Their Vanderpool cousin Stanley might have been able to go up against LeatherWorks, but for this job, there was only one man. Rob Black.

  “Back in Vegas Rob knew how to reason with Huntley,” Melanie said. “You worked for Rob for a long time. I know he’ll help us. He already told Huntley to work through him.”

  But the cousins looked at each other, knowing that when it came time, Drew Huntley had contacted Brisa, not Rob.

  “At least I know he won’t try to take Ethan,” Brisa said shakily. “He always hated kids, really couldn’t stand them.”

  That gave Melanie an idea. What if Rob told Huntley about Ethan and said he was going to sue for back child support? That might get rid of him. She didn’t know if you could sue someone who didn’t know their child existed, but she’d heard of welfare offices hunting down the biological fathers of children whose mothers went on welfare and Brisa was out of work. It might be a useful angle.

  * * * * *

  Rob had been patient all week, but here it was Friday morning and he still hadn’t heard from Melanie. He understood her pulling back after the shocks she had borne, but now she needed to start fresh. His only worry was that she could have been job hunting. After all, she hadn’t called as promised.

  But surely she would realize the truth. Life would be so great from now on with the two of them allied. After thirty-four years, he had finally found the perfect woman to be his partner. They would work together as a team in business and in life. This weekend at the lodge trip they had planned, they would make plans for the rest of their lives together, both for them and for LeatherWorks. Nothing could defeat them now.

  He picked up the phone and dialed.

  * * * * *

  “Hello?” Melanie croaked into phone. She glanced to the left, where the spindly green numbers on her digital clock informed her that it was nine a.m. Shit.

  “Melanie? You been drinking again?” Rob teased.

  “No. It was a big family day yesterday.” And a depressing early call from the unemployment office turning down her request for benefits had sent her right back under her pastel blue sheets. She’d have to get a lawyer if she wanted to fight now. If only she hadn’t signed that agreement not to sue.

  “Family will wear anyone out. So how about tonight? You cancelled the mid-week date, but tonight is the big one.” Rob’s voice teased her eardrum, made her think of kisses on parts of her body that would not be touched again anytime soon. She had to resist him. The decision had been made.

  “Tonight,” Melanie sighed, struggling to a sitting position. “I can’t do the trip, Rob.”

  “Why not? I’ll pay.”

  “No,” she said, sounding firmer than she felt. “I need to accept your job offer.”

  “You do?” Rob sounded surprised.

  “You meant it, didn’t you?” Melanie asked cautiously. Maybe she was going to have to use that resume book her father had given her last night. She’d never written one in her life. And take the loan from her newly retired parents that they shouldn’t have to offer and couldn’t really afford.

  “Of course I meant it,” Rob said after a long pause. “We need you here.”

  “Then you understand why I’m canceling our plans, right? It’s not a good idea to be involved with your boss.”

  “You could report to Jack,” Rob suggested.

  Melanie winced at the sound of that name. She hadn’t decided what to do about him yet. “That wouldn’t matter, Rob. You know that. I can’t date you. I need to keep my job separate from my love life.”

  “Why? We have a preexisting relationship,” Rob said. “It doesn’t count.”

  Melanie sighed. She had run these thoughts through her head for what felt like weeks now. “About all anyone has is their professional integrity. I won’t compromise it by dating you. It will cause problems at the office.”

  “Sure, Melanie,” Rob said, drawing out the syllables. “Whatever you say.”

  He had given up a little easily, though Melanie had to admit her ego was gratified in that he didn’t sound happy about it. His surly tone made her wonder if they would have a future at all after a few months of working together. Brisa’s idea that they could be just friends for a few months while she worked at a pre-sale LeatherWorks sounded foolish and hollow now. “Please, Rob, please try to understand.”

  “I understand you are now my employee, not my lover, not my girlfriend, not my friend.”

  Melanie winced. But Jack fit into the latter category. Personal ties did cause problems at the workplace. She hoped Rob wouldn’t decide to hate her in the end. She wanted such different things for them.

  “I’m sorry, Rob. So sorry. And I do want to be your friend. Chances are we’ll both be out of work in six months anyway, but I’m going to be careful to save this time so I won’t be so desperate when the time is up.”

  “When the time is up?” Rob repeated. “My whole plan for you is to save the company! If you dazzle Grandfather he might cancel the sale for good.”

  “Right,” Melanie said slowly, the image of him in her bed by next Valentine’s Day fading. “I certainly want my work for you to be successful.”

  “I’m sure it will be,” Rob said stiffly. “I’m not going to harass you, you know. If you say no, fine, you mean no.”

  “Right,” Melanie said. “No means no.”

  “You’re really sure? We can’t see each other?”

  She smiled at the hint of desperation that had finally entered his voice. “No.”

  “Maybe I could find you another job somewhere?” Rob suggested.

  “I thought I was exactly what LeatherWorks needed,” she said, smiling.

  “True.” The word punched at her through the phone line. “And I’ve always put my job before my personal life.”

  A good reminder. “Me too.”

  “Okay, then. Monday, nine a.m., at the Human Resources office.”

  “Right,” Melanie said. “I’ll make you proud.”

  “Yeah.” Rob said and hung up.

  Melanie envisioned the future. Success with a new company, Rob’s professional respect instead of his love. She could make her own way in the world. Who needed men, even the ones who smelled like heaven? Now she would just have to learn to love the smell of leather in the morning, instead of the scent of him.

  Chapter Fifteen

  It only took two hours to begin a new life. After orientation, Melanie found herself in a room with gray walls, a cement floor, hanging swaths of variously hued leather and tools. She also had a desk and a couple of worktables. Dropping her purse on one of the scarred tables, she turned to face her raw materials. She couldn’t wait to work with them. She’d always wanted to make a leather skirt but hadn’t been self-confident enough to actually wear one.

  “We’ll do great together,” she said aloud, running her hand down one smooth piece of cherry red leather. The material felt cool and sensual against her hand. She was moving from the olfactory world to the tactile one. Dropping her book bag to a worktable, she pulled out her college notebooks. She’d done a little work with leather in school.

&
nbsp; “Will this room work for you?”

  Melanie felt her heart skip a beat. She turned from her position in front of the leathers to face the door. “Rob!” she said, glad to see him. She smoothed her hands down her thighs. Rob’s eyes glanced down the path her hands had taken then shot back to her face. “I love it. I really think I’m going to be inspired here.”

  “Good,” he said, leaning against the doorjamb casually, yet still with eyes locked onto hers. “I have a meeting to get to, but I wanted to make sure I said hi on your first day.”

  Melanie drooped at his cool tone and lack of enthusiasm, which only highlighted how little time he would have for her now. But she knew she would pay a price for allowing him to become her boss. All she needed from him was a little common courtesy and support for her projects, not affection and warmth, no matter how she might miss it. At least he still had heat in his eyes, inconvenient and uncomfortable though it might be at times. She preferred that to other options. She couldn’t imagine how she’d cope when he began to date someone else, how she’d feel when she saw them together at company functions. She twisted her hands together. “How did you know when to stop by?”

  “I told HR to ring me when they got you settled.”

  “The personal touch?” she asked, knowing she had an edge of sarcasm in her voice that he didn’t deserve.

  He smiled, ignoring her petulance. “You bet. So everything all right?”

  “No,” Melanie blurted out, surprising herself.

  “No?” Rob raised an eyebrow.

  “Just ignore me,” she waved her hand. “Go about your business. Thanks for stopping by and checking on your newest employee.”

  Rob sighed and propped one hip against the worktable nearest him. “Melanie, spill it. Anything you need, always. Just ask, okay?”

  She bit her lip. With his steady dark eyes on her, it only took a second for her to decide to confide in him. Otherwise she’d be letting Brisa down. Rob could intimidate Huntley in the way the two women could not. “It’s Drew Huntley.”

  At the name, Rob frowned. “I haven’t heard from him. I assumed he’d scuttled back to his hole.”

 

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