Keeping Her

by Allie Everhart

  He sets the napkin down on the table. "Your father requested to have input on your punishment."

  "He can't. He's not at that level."

  "Which is why we discussed it while you were out of the room."

  "And what was decided? Are they allowing it?"

  "Yes. Holton will meet with the ruling council privately and express his thoughts on the matter, then the ruling council will share Holton's input with the upper level members."

  "Dammit!" I slam my fist on the table. "Jack, why the hell didn't you put a stop to this? You know my father will make my punishment more severe."

  "I'd already stood up for you enough in that meeting. I don't need a damn target on my back. Holton's already suspicious of me. Besides, just because they're allowing him to express his opinions doesn't mean they'll listen to him. The upper level members will make the final decision."

  "Did my father indicate what he wants my punishment to be?"

  "Of course not. He wouldn't risk one of us telling you what he said."

  "Who else was there?"

  "I can't tell you that."

  It's so damn frustrating the way Jack picks and chooses what information to share.

  "Then what exactly can you tell me, Jack?"

  He leans back and folds his arms over his chest. "What do you want to know? Ask me and I'll see if I can answer."

  I shoot up from the chair. "I'm not going to sit here and play guessing games all fucking day! Just tell me what they said!"

  "Pearce," he says calmly. "Sit down."

  I take a breath and lower myself back in the chair, rubbing my hand over my forehead. "Are they going to hurt Rachel? I need to know."

  "I honestly don't know." He's serious now, and I feel like he might finally tell me something. "Now that the decision has been moved to a higher level, anything could happen. But I can tell you that when you weren't in the room, Rachel wasn't discussed. And the fact that they're allowing your marriage to continue is a good sign. Frankly, I'm still rather shocked that they did that."

  "Do you think it's some kind of game they're playing? A ploy to make me think she's safe when she's really not?"

  "It could be." He shoves his plate aside and puts his arms on the table, learning forward slightly. "I'm glad you're finally thinking that way, Pearce. You should always think that way. Never trust anyone. Never think you're safe. Because you're not. None of us are."

  "So if they didn't talk about Rachel, what did they talk about when I left the room?" I know I've already asked him this, but I've found that sometimes I have to ask several times before I get an answer.

  "They talked about what type of punishment would be appropriate for something like this, but no one could come up with anything since we've never had to deal with this before. Some of the younger members who were present said the punishment shouldn't be overly harsh, given that you simply married the girl. As long as she never knows our secrets and is able to adapt to your lifestyle, attending social events, etcetera, then they didn't find it to be that terrible of a crime. The older members, on the other hand, want a more severe punishment, mainly to use you as an example to the other members that this will not be tolerated. They don't want our men just going off and marrying whoever they please."

  "And what did my father say?"

  "He was quiet, except for his request to share his ideas with the higher-level members." Jack pauses, looking like he wants to say something.

  "What is it, Jack? What else did my father say?"

  He quickly shakes his head. "Nothing. That was it." He stands up. "I need to get to work."

  "Speaking of work, my father fired me." It almost sounds comical when I say it. I guess I've accepted it now, to the point that it's rather humorous.

  Jack smiles. "Lucky you. Did you go out and celebrate?"

  "No, but I suppose I should, shouldn't I?"

  "It's what you wanted. You're finally free of that place." He motions me to get up. "Come on. I'll walk you to the door."

  As we're going down the hall, he glances at me and says, "So you want a job?"

  "Why? Do you know of one?"

  "I need a strategy guy for my new product line on the surveillance side of the business. You interested?"

  I stop walking. "Are you serious?"

  He stops as well and turns to face me. "You're smart and you have good ideas. And you're a hard worker. You're the type of person I like to hire. I know you want to start your own business, but maybe you'd like to do this in the meantime. It's better than sitting at home all day." He smiles. "And I guarantee you'd like your new boss a hell of a lot better than your old one."

  "My father would be furious if I worked for you."

  Jack smiles. "All the more reason to say yes."

  I smile back. "I need to think about it, but thank you for offering. Could I get back to you later? Maybe in a few weeks? Rachel and I are going out of town and—"

  "But you'll be at the meeting," he interrupts. "You can't miss the meeting, Pearce. It's the biggest one of the year."

  "Yes, I know. I'll be there."

  He's referring to the organization's end of the year meeting. It starts the Monday after Christmas, and lasts the entire week. Christmas is on a Saturday this year which means Rachel and I have to fly back Sunday so that I'm back in time for the meeting. I haven't told her what I'm doing that week because I haven't come up with an excuse yet. Coming up with these lies is exhausting.

  "Let me know your decision by early January," he says.

  We continue down the hallway to the open room that leads to the foyer. There's a staircase there and I hear a woman talking as she walks down the stairs.

  "Hey, Jack-ass," she says kiddingly, as she meets Jack in the foyer.

  "What do you want, woman?" he says, also in a kidding tone.

  It's Jack's wife. She notices me and blushes. "Oh, sorry, I didn't realize you had company, Jack."

  "Relax, Martha. It's just Pearce."

  I've met his wife before. She's on the heavy side and has thick, dark brown hair that's cut to her chin. Martha doesn't really fit in with the other members' wives, who are stick-thin. She also swears a lot, which the other women never do, at least not in public. And when Martha drinks, she can be a little loud and say inappropriate things. The other women find her to be rather crude and improper. That's why Jack and Martha make a good pair. They're both outcasts.

  "Jack-ass is her nickname for me," Jack says as he yanks her into his side and kisses her.

  She laughs and says to me, "I'm sure you can guess how I came up with that." She sniffs her husband's shirt. "Jack, were you eating bacon again?"

  "See?" he says to me. "You sound just like her." He kisses her again and smacks her rather large ass. "Love ya. See you tonight." He whispers something in her ear and she smiles and winks at him.

  I don't know why these two cheat on each other. Almost all of the members do, but that's because they're stuck in loveless marriages. Jack and Martha seem to be in love, so I don't understand it.

  Martha hands him his suit jacket. "You left this upstairs." She turns to me. "He'd forget his head if it wasn't attached."

  I chuckle. "It's nice seeing you, Martha."

  "You too, Pearce. Oh, and tell your wife I'd love to have her over sometime."

  "That girl doesn't want to spend time with an old crazy bat like you," Jack kids as he puts his suit jacket on. "She's young enough to be your daughter."

  I smile at Martha. "I'll be sure to tell her."

  Jack and I leave, and as I'm driving home I think about what he told me. About how I should never assume I'm safe. Or that Rachel's safe. I keep telling myself she is because it's what I want to believe. I can't handle the thought of ever losing her. If something ever happened to her, it would destroy me. I wouldn't be able to live with myself, knowing I was the one who put her in danger.

  Last night Rachel had us make a wish on that ornament I bought her. I wished that she would always be safe. That no harm
would come to her. I don't believe in wishes so I never bother making them. But I did last night because I'll do everything possible to make sure Rachel is safe, even if that includes wishing on a crystal star.

  As I sit at a stoplight, waiting for the light to turn, I consider Jack's job offer. I'm somewhat intrigued by it. Although I want my own company, I'm not ready to start it tomorrow. I need time to think and plan, and while I do that, it might be good to get some experience at a different company. One in which I'd actually get to voice my opinion and have people listen to my ideas.

  My father would be furious if I took the job, but I don't really care. He already hates me and isn't speaking to me and I'm sure is on a personal mission to make my punishment as harsh as possible. So maybe I should go work for Jack. The problem is Rachel doesn't know I'm friends with Jack. She still thinks he's just some crazy old man who came to her apartment. So how do I explain to her who he really is and why I didn't tell her months ago when he showed up at her apartment?

  Back at the loft I find Rachel on the couch, talking on the phone. Her eyes are red, like she's been crying.

  "Mom, I know, but it's just better this way. And I don't have time to plan it even if I wanted to." She nods. "Yes. Okay." She pauses. "I love you too." She hangs up and lies back on the couch. "That didn't go well."

  "What happened?" I lift her feet up and place them on my lap as I sit down.

  "I told my mom that your mother is doing all the wedding planning and my mom got really upset. I told her the issues you're having with your parents, so she kind of understands, but she's still upset about it."

  "Because she wanted to plan the wedding?"

  "It's less about her and more about me. She's okay with your mom wanting to help with the wedding, but she doesn't know why I'm not allowed to have input. I tried to explain but I wasn't getting anywhere."

  I don't know what to tell her. I can't give in and tell Rachel she can plan the wedding. It's out of my hands, and I wouldn't dare ask the members if she could have input. They've already made it clear that she is not to be involved, other than getting updates from the wedding planners.

  "Did you ask your mother about the bridal shower?"

  Rachel takes her legs off me and sits up. "Yes, but we haven't picked a date yet. A lot of my friends will be home for the holidays so that would be the best time to have it, but we'll be gone."

  "We're coming back on the twenty-sixth. Why don't you fly out there and stay with your parents for a few days?"

  "By myself?"

  "Yes. Actually, it's good timing because I need to attend a client conference that week for Kensington Chemical."

  "But your father fired you."

  "That's not public knowledge. Our employees and clients haven't been told. They just think I'm taking time off." It's true, but I only found that out because I saw a memo about it when I went to pick up my things from my office. "I have close relationships with some of our clients so they expect me to be at the conference. I also have to go to dinner with them at night, so I won't be around much. It would be the perfect time for you to go visit your parents and have the bridal shower."

  She considers it. "I guess it would be a good time to go back there. Once I get a job I won't be able to get home as much."

  "Then it's settled. I'll get you a ticket."

  The phone rings and Rachel reaches over to get it. "Hello." She listens. "Yes, this is Rachel." She smiles and nods. "No, we're not doing anything…okay, see you then." She hangs up.

  "Who was that?" I ask.

  "Victoria Lissfeld. She said she's Royce's fiancé. I thought they were just dating, not engaged."

  "They're engaged now. So what did she want?"

  "She invited us to have dinner with them tomorrow night."

  "And you agreed?"

  "Yes. We're not busy, and I thought it would be nice to have dinner with them. You're friends with Royce. I thought you'd want to go."

  "No." I stand up, my anger rising. "I have no interest in having dinner with them, which is why you should've asked me before agreeing to it."

  This is all Victoria's idea. I know it is. It's a ploy to get information from Rachel, which Victoria will twist into her own version of the truth that she will then gossip about to all her society friends. She'll turn them against Rachel before Rachel even has a chance to meet them. It'll be hard enough for Rachel to be accepted into that group of women, given that she's not one of us, but Victoria is trying to make sure Rachel is never allowed in.

  "Pearce, I feel like you're trying to hide me from your friends again."

  I sit back down beside her. "That's not it. I just don't care for Victoria. I've known her for years and she is not a nice woman."

  "Why don't you let me decide that for myself? It's just one dinner. We're meeting them at the restaurant."

  "Fine, but watch what you say around her. Don't tell her too much. She gossips constantly and I don't want her talking about us."

  "If she's so horrible, then why is Royce marrying her?" She pauses, looking like she just figured out the answer to her own question. "It's an arranged marriage."

  "Yes. But they're both okay with it."

  "I still find that strange." She shakes away the thought and says to me, "So where were you this morning?"

  "I was at the gym," I blurt out, unable to find a better lie.

  "You always meet with your trainer at noon."

  "He had a conflict today so he asked me to come in early. By the way, I got you a membership for the gym down the street. You should go check out the pool."

  Her eyes light up. "You got me a membership? When did you get it?"

  "Yesterday. I forgot to tell you."

  She smiles. "Do you mind if I go right now? A swim would feel really good right now."

  I kiss her. "Go ahead."

  She goes to the bedroom to change. I recline back on the couch, relieved that she believed my story about the conference and that she went along with my idea for her to go home that week.

  I don't know how I'll be able to keep doing this. When I have to go to a meeting for the organization or leave to complete an assignment, what am I going to tell her? Before, I could blame work, and I was able to do so just now. But I no longer have a job, so what will I do in the future? What excuse will I give her?

  I feel like I'm running out of lies she'll believe. And we've only been married a few weeks. How will I be able to do this for the rest of our lives?

  CHAPTER TWELVE

  12

  RACHEL

  We just arrived at the restaurant where we're meeting Royce and Victoria. It's a seafood restaurant along the shoreline. Pearce has been here before and told me it's a very upscale restaurant, so I'm wearing a dress and Pearce is wearing a suit. I had to go out and buy the dress just for tonight. I didn't have one that was nice enough to wear to an expensive restaurant.

  I really need some new clothes. Everything I own is casual, and Pearce said I'll need elegant dresses for the high-end events he goes to. On Friday I'm going shopping with that woman who picked out the clothes I wore in Las Vegas. Pearce told me to buy whatever I want and not look at the price tags, which will feel very strange given that I usually shop the clearance racks.

  "Hello, Pearce." Royce stands up from the table. Pearce and I say hello and shake hands with him.

  "And I'm Victoria," the woman next to him says. I've never met her so I didn't know what she looked like before now. She's a couple inches shorter than me, and thin, with dark brown hair that's pulled up behind her head. She's wearing a cream-colored fitted dress with a scarf draped over the shoulder and somehow tied at her waist. It seems very high fashion.

  "It's nice to meet you," I say, shaking her hand.

  Her eyes move over me, starting at my face and slowly moving down to my dress. I feel like I'm being inspected and judged, similar to how I felt when I met Pearce's parents. It's not a good feeling.

  We all sit down, with Victoria across from me. She
smiles at me, but it's a tight, strained smile. "So tell me how you met Pearce."

  "They met at Yale," Royce answers, putting his arm up behind her chair.

  "You went to Yale?" Victoria asks in a surprised tone, as if she couldn't imagine me going there.

  "No. I went to Hirshfield. I was at Yale listening to Pearce give a speech on business ethics."

  Royce laughs so hard he almost chokes on the water he was drinking.

  "Pardon me," he says, blotting his napkin over his mouth. "Business ethics?" he says to Pearce. "They do know your family owns Kensington Chemical, correct?"

  He laughs again, but I don't know why that's funny. Is he saying the company isn't ethical?

  "Royce," Pearce says in a warning tone, which only makes me think Royce wasn't kidding.

  Victoria ignores him and says to me, "I hear you're from somewhere in the middle."

  I can't stand it when people call it that. It's the Midwest, not the middle.

  "Yes, I'm from Indiana."

  "And you're from a farm?" She almost laughs when she says it.

  "Yes, I grew up on a farm." I probably said it a little too harshly but I hope she picked up on my tone. She's being rude and I don't want this to continue all night.

  "Isn't that sweet, Royce?" She tilts her head. "Pearce found himself a sweet little farm girl."

  "Victoria," Pearce says in a much harsher tone than mine. "Rachel and I will leave if you continue to act this way."

  "What way?" she asks, batting her fake eyelashes at him. "I'm simply trying to get to know the girl."

  Royce leans over to her and smiles. "Victoria, sweetheart, be nice." He says it like he's talking to a little girl.

  Although I'm grateful to Royce for helping Pearce and me elope, I can't say that I like him. The first day we were in Las Vegas, Royce slept with multiple women, despite being engaged to Victoria. He doesn't respect women at all. He talks down to them, using a condescending tone like he did just now.

  "I need to use the restroom," I say, already needing a break from this. I get up just as the waiter appears. "Pearce, could you please order me the salmon?"