by Gina Watson
She dropped the money on the table. “You two have been in here before.” She pointed a finger at Ed and leaned in so that she was only an inch from his face. “You, should be prison for the things that you did.”
“And you”—shit! She’d turned her fierce gaze on Max—“Should be in there right along with him for harboring his actions. I don’t care if you’re name is Maximilian David, leave now, both of you!”
Max stood, but Ed was content to remain seated. She signaled to someone in the distance, and then stood with her hands on her hips.
“I’m hard as a rock over here, sweetie. Tell me why I didn’t see you in here last time, but you saw me.”
Fuck, why couldn’t Ed learn to lay low? This was fast becoming a disaster.
“I can sense scum and didn’t want any part of what you were offering.”
Max’s buddy Boudreaux appeared at their table. His name was Cedric, but everybody called him by his last name. “Hey, Max.”
Max nodded. “Boudreaux.”
She took in their exchange, a look of disgust overtaking her features when she realized they knew one another. “Bloody fucking perfect.” She walked away.
Max addressed Boudreaux, “We were just leaving.”
“You sure?” Boudreaux countered.
“I am.”
One Sonata pill later had Ed falling asleep in the Vette before they even reached the edge of Max’s large estate.
Crisis averted, Max put Ed to bed, happy to have succeeded in obtaining a large donation for the university without the disastrous events that had occurred last time.
When Max’s head hit the cool, crisp cover of the pillow on his bed his thoughts immediately went to the blonde beauty with the cold eyes. He was hopeful he’d spend time with her in dreamland.
Chapter Four
It was now Friday, marking three days since Cara had been in to work. Max had called and emailed repeatedly, but all attempts at communication with her had failed. That’s how Max found himself standing in the office of student affairs.
“Good morning, Vice President David. How may I assist you?”
“Cara Presley. I need any telephone numbers, email address, or physical addresses that you may have on her.”
“Yes, sir.” The efficient lad clicked away on his computer. Of course Max had done that from his office chair as he had open access to all university files, but he’d come up empty. He hoped somewhere there existed additional information on a student who had attended LSU since the age of seventeen and was about to graduate with a Master of Arts degree in library science. His search had revealed all of that information to him today.
The boy fetched a sheet off the printer, and then used a highlighter on the page. Max wasn’t fond of highlighting. What annoyed him especially however was when highlighting covered more than one-third of the page.
“Here you go.”
Max picked up the page and was immediately disappointed. “This is the information I have on her as well. Is that all there is?”
“Sorry, sir.”
Agitated, Max walked back to his office. If she wasn’t going to come back to work, how would he ever be able to apologize? He’d downloaded her class schedule. However, given that she was in her last semester of graduate study, the majority of her classes were independent study courses. She’d completed all of her core requirements. He’d thought about contacting her thesis mentor, but he preferred keeping the incident just between the two of them.
In his office he sat at his desk and ran the twenty-million-dollar check through his fingers. He hadn’t given it over to the general fund to receive their accolades. He hadn’t even told President Simon.
Max recalled Ed’s previous disastrous visit. Zach had been home working in the studio shooting porn and, true to fashion, Ed jumped right in the middle of filming. Zach had said it was fine so Max had gone off to bed. When the sex had become too intense, Zach woke Max to come and deal with Ed, but it had been too late.
Max rubbed his hand over his face. It would serve the filthy bastard right if a sex tape were leaked of him wearing a cowboy hat and boots and taking it in the ass from a woman wearing a strap-on. Yes, that happened. Max didn’t need or want to see the video and he didn’t have to, he had Zach’s detailed account of the events.
The more he thought about it, the more Max thought he would fight to revoke Mr. Koch’s donation. However, with a cocky prick such as Ed Koch, Max knew it would be a nasty fight. Ed would scream defamation lawsuit and probably attempt to have Max removed from the university before he would see any error in his own actions. Would he? The video alone might be enough to scare him into submission.
Max stood. For some reason he was drawn to Dr. Gray’s door. He knocked.
“Well don’t just stand there. Come in.”
“Sorry to bother you, Dr. Gray.”
“Max, Jesus Christ, call me Emily. And take a chair.” She pointed to the plush chairs across from her desk. “Something on your mind?”
Emily’s office was a minefield. Did the woman keep every piece of research for the entire university?
“Stop judging my mess, Max and speak what’s on your mind.”
“I’m hoping you have information about Cara Presley.”
“Information…what kind of information?”
“I’ve been to the office of student affairs in an attempt to obtain additional phone numbers or even a physical address on her. The information in her file is outdated. It shows her living on campus, but she no longer does. She’s missed three days of work.”
Emily frowned, “In six years I don’t think she’s ever missed a working day.”
“I think you’re right.”
“I wish I could help you, but when we talk it’s mostly about current issues in library science.”
Max was disappointed. Suddenly he felt a strong desire to confide in Emily. He cleared his throat, “I know you’re not fond of Ed Koch.”
“He’s a sniveling little prick.”
“Right.” Max’s foot began to dance to the beat of his nerves. “I want to renounce his contribution to the university. Will you stand with me?”
“On what grounds?”
“He’s not a good role model for our students.”
“No, he’s a dick and I agree completely.”
“I have damning evidence. However, I’ll probably get sued if I use it against him. I may even get terminated.”
She leaned back in her chair. “Is that a deal breaker for you?”
“What?”
“You don’t need the money a tenured career provides. You don’t have family. You can easily relocate and start over. It seems as if you are the perfect candidate to lead this crusade.”
Max’s gaze was drawn to the windows along the wall of her office. “I guess I am.”
“Something to think about.” She leaned forward and began typing on her computer, content to get back to work.
“In an attempt to entertain and pacify Ed I took him to a strip club. There was a woman with blonde hair and a full figure. She was petite…you know”—Max held his hand in the air to demonstrate her height—“short. Her eyes were cold and ice blue. If I didn’t know better, I would have sworn it was Cara. I did finally get the chance to see her close up. She looked to be in her early thirties.”
Emily’s typing had ceased. “Who do we think she is?”
“I don’t know. I would have mentioned Cara’s name to her, but she hates me and she hates Ed even more. If she knew Cara, she wouldn’t have revealed that to me. It crossed my mind that she may be a sister.”
“What are your intentions with Cara?”
Max froze. He hadn’t thought about why he was so hard pressed to get Cara back into the office. He squirmed in his chair as Emily’s eyes bore into him. “I’m worried.” Max felt like he was back in boarding school sitting in the office of the headmaster. “I’d like her to come back to work at least so that I may apologize.” He sighed. “Honestly when she told me her na
me was Cara and not Clara something changed.” He shook his head. “Not right away, but I’ve realized that I haven’t been concentrating on what’s most important in my environment. It made me wonder what else I may have overlooked. What have I been focused on?” He chuckled. “I’m not making any sense.”
“Actually, this is the first time I’ve ever heard you make perfect sense.” Emily smiled at him and it was the first time he’d ever thought a woman with gray hair and over the age of forty to be quite beautiful.
“A few weeks ago when Ed blew through town I turned a blind eye on his behavior, which was appalling and criminal really. I did it because I knew he planned to donate so much to the university, but I’ve recognized that integrity and morality are worth so much more than money. Ethics of honor and goodness can’t be bought…only earned.”
“I will stand with you against him.”
“You will?”
“Yes, I can see you’ve changed. You’re being led by your heart. I dare say our Cara has a little something to do with that.”
He frowned and looked from Emily to the desk. “I don’t know about that.”
“It doesn’t matter. Build your case and let me know when you want to present it.”
“Thanks, Emily.”
Max drove home with renewed purpose. He felt all around better about himself since his moral compass had been reset. In the morning he’d go for a jog and decide how he wanted to proceed where Ed was concerned.
He also needed to speak with Zach. If he was going to go after Ed, he’d need to clean up his own act. If Zach were determined to make porn, he’d need to get his own studio.
***
Cara drove to the address given to her over the phone by Zach. When she turned onto Bayou Bend Drive, sheer grandeur is the only way to describe what she saw. The street was divided by an esplanade made up of dozens of willow trees. The long street wound around to form an L shape. Despite the vastness, she counted only five houses. She drove past address one, then two, and then saw number three in the elbow of the curve. It was perfect! The angles gave the yard dimension and the homeowner made good use of the two lines leading toward the house by placing a large fountain at the point.
She left her car parked in the drive only because she didn’t know where else to put it.
The house was obviously new construction with prewar period features. An ornate, double staircase at the front of the house permitted passage to the second level balcony. However, Cara kept her feet at ground level.
At the door she pressed the bell, all the while recanting ‘bell out of order, please knock’ from her favorite childhood movie. Looking around, she sure felt like she wasn’t in Baton Rouge any more.
A woman dressed in jeans and a sweater answered the door. She wasn’t exactly what Cara had expected, but then again she hadn’t known what she’d expected.
“I have a meeting with Zachary.”
“Come in.” The woman led Cara through a double-door entry with black and white tile. The double staircase theme was present inside the home as well. The staircase was a grandiose masterpiece with ornate cherubim detailing on the railing. “If you will just wait here, I’ll get Zach.” The woman gestured to a silver, blue-velvet bench that rested against the wall just at the foot of the stairs.
“Okay. Thanks.” In her baggy jeans and sweatshirt, Cara felt like a plum in a bowl of oranges. Not to mention…she was PMSing and her already full figure was much fuller. She’d always had a stomach on her and today it was severely bloated, so this little excursion was probably pointless as she was too fat to model.
“Cara!” An extremely nice looking man held his arms out to her so she put her hands in his. He pulled her from the bench. His eyes shone like emeralds and he had short sandy hair. His bronze skin was warm to the touch. “Nice to finally meet you. I’m Zach”—he hooked his thumb behind him, indicating the woman who answered the door—“I call this one Lurch because she’s not very friendly and usually responds by saying, ‘you rang’—she also has no sense of humor.”
She smiled and rolled her eyes. “I’m Zoey. Ask me for anything. Not much of what Zach says is true.”
“I’ll try to remember that. Thanks, Zoey.”
“Follow me,” Zach said.
“So you go to school with Stacy?”
“Yeah.” She followed Zach through the house and several living areas. A large room along the back of the house possessed four ornate columns—one at each corner. Sheer white curtains hung between the columns and gave the room a light glow. The wood floor was laid in a herringbone pattern. No furniture existed in the room, which she thought was odd. With the back wall made up of windows and French doors, this would be her very favorite room in the house. They walked outside and across an expansive porch. A sparkling pool with a slide built into a rock façade dominated the space around a body of water. She imagined sand squishing between her toes as she took in the sloping entrance.
“This is a beautiful swimming pool.”
He stopped and turned to better converse. “You like it?…Maybe we’ll do some filming outside.”
Filming? “But I thought you were going to take still pictures?”
He frowned, seemingly confused. “Not still, but film.” He resumed walking and she followed. Now she was the one confused. She hadn’t thought about doing a film.
They entered another building composed of the same architecture as the main structure. It had a kitchen, living area, and a hallway that led to what she assumed to be a bedroom and bathroom. In the living room however was a massive bed. Behind the bed was a screen. A man sat at a table across the room and appeared to be nude. He stood, confirming her summation of his attire.
“Cara, meet Justin.”
“Hey.” He scratched at an eyebrow. Zach walked over to an elaborate camera system and made adjustments.
“Zach tells me this is your first time.”
“Excuse me. She walked over to Zach and spoke low, “The word production on your card refers to video production.”
His eyes widened. “It does.”
“And Justin is involved?”
“He is.”
“How?”
Zach frowned, “How is he involved?”
“Yes.” Cara crossed her arms as she stood, feeling out of place.
“He’s the male lead.”
“Porn?”
“Yes.”
She lowered her chin to her chest. “I see.”
“You didn’t know?”
“No, I did not. I thought I would be sitting as an artist’s model.”
“Stacy didn’t explain?”
“No, she’s a fucking bitch.” Her first thought was how anyone would agree to have sex with a total stranger for a mere five hundred dollars. “Sorry, it seems I’ve wasted everyone’s time.”
“It’s not your fault.” Zach set his camera down on the table. “I’ll just walk you back to the front.”
“Thank you.”
Justin held his arms out by his side, “Hey, I’ll be gentle.” He grinned.
She nodded. “That’s…uh…that’s funny.”
They walked past the impressive swimming pool.
“I should apologize to you. I don’t know what’s with Stacy, but I’ll speak with her.”
“I’d rather you didn’t. It would just make it worse for me. There’s no harm done. Although, I do regret losing the chance to earn five hundred dollars. I was sort of counting on that money to help pay tuition costs.”
As they approached the French doors a man exited. His hair was sandy, and his electric green gaze was punctuated with anxiety. He had an intensity that was contagious. He stared at her without blinking, his body slowly getting closer to hers.
“Uh…okay, Gabriel, meet Cara.” Zach made introductions.
“Mirabelle.”
Cara backed away from him. How did he know her mother’s name? Cara’s skin tingled at the thought that her mother was in porn. She just couldn’t see it. He
r mother was a romantic…it didn’t add up. The only other explanation was that this Gabriel was a frequent guest at the club where her mother worked. Cara was used to being mistaken for her mother. She’d had Cara when she was sixteen. As a result, she was still in her thirties and one of the most beautiful women Cara had ever known.
“Brother, I just told you, this is Cara.”
He finally broke his heated gaze on her. “Right. Cara it’s nice meeting you.” He held his hand out to her and she took it. He shuffled nervously. “Can I paint you?”
Paint? “You’re a painter?”
“Actually, this is perfect!” Zach intoned.
Both Cara and Gabriel regarded him curiously.
“Gabe…Cara is interested in some work as an artist’s model. I told her it pays five hundred dollars.”
“Done. When can you begin?”
“I was supposed to start this morning.”
“Great. I’d like to try some positioning. Do you mind if I take some still photos?”
“Well, I hadn’t thought about it really. I thought it would just be me sitting on a stool or something. I can be a little camera shy.”
“Do you mind accompanying me to my studio in the clubhouse so that we can discuss your contract?”
Contract? That meant ongoing work. “Sure.”
The trio walked back to the clubhouse. They returned to find a naked Justin, leaning against the large kitchen island, crunching and slurping cereal from a bowl.
“Hey, you talked her into giving it a try.”
He had a full hard on. “So, do you ever put on pants?” Cara questioned.
“Not too often. I’m pretty much a free spirit.”
“Kind of gross for everyone else. I mean you are leaning against the kitchen counter.” He froze. At least he had the decency to appear embarrassed.
Gabriel shot her a knowing look. “The good news, Cara, is that my studio is upstairs.”
“That is good news.” She followed him upstairs to a loft-type room. No walls separated the long rectangular space. Cantilevered rows of windows flanked each side of the studio. At the back she counted four French doors and more large windows. The room was awash in natural light and she understood immediately why he’d chosen this space for his art studio.