Keeping Her

by Allie Everhart

  "I've never denied him anything," she says. "I've never told him no. And yet he still goes outside the marriage."

  I don't want to hear this. I don't even want to think about my parents having sex. In my mind, they did it once to have me and that was it.

  "Mother, why don't we talk about—"

  "I see Jack over there," she says, smiling. "Perhaps I'll see if he'd like to dance. Your father refused to dance with me but I know Jack would say yes."

  "Mother, are you drunk?" I don't smell alcohol on her but she's acting out of character.

  "Of course I'm not drunk." She abruptly stops dancing. "The song has ended. We should return to our seats."

  We move off the dance floor. "Are you going to speak to me after today?"

  "It's not likely," she says, smoothing her hair as we walk back to the table.

  "Why? We just had an enjoyable dance."

  "We danced because it's your wedding and we're expected to. But the fact remains that you married a woman no one approves of, thus disgracing the Kensington name."

  "Now you sound like Father."

  "Your father is correct in that regard. You never should have married that girl. You should've married Sydney St. James. She was a very suitable mate for you. You would've made a lovely couple."

  "I married Rachel because I love her. She makes me happy. Don't you want me to be happy, Mother?"

  We stop at her table and she sits down, not answering me.

  "Mother, this silent treatment cannot continue. Maybe with Father, but not with you. We've always had a decent relationship and I don't want it to end. At least say that you'll talk to me if I call."

  "I don't know, Pearce. We'll see."

  One of her friends approaches the table. My mother ignores me and talks to the woman.

  I turn and walk away. I need to get back to Rachel. But then Jack comes up to me, hanging his arm off my shoulder. "Pearce. Let me buy you a drink."

  "The drinks are free, Jack."

  He chuckles. "Yes. And I have taken advantage of that tonight." He drags me to the bar. "Scotch and water," he tells the bartender. He nudges me. "See that? I added water this time. You should be proud of me."

  "I'm sure that's your tenth drink tonight and the other ones didn't have water."

  He slaps me on the back. "You know me too well, Pearce." He takes his drink from the bar. "I danced with your wife earlier."

  "Do you know where she is? I was looking for her."

  "She's around here somewhere." He swigs his drink. "God, she's a beautiful woman. You're a lucky man. I bet you can't wait for the honeymoon. Did you tell her about it yet?"

  "No. I'm keeping it a surprise."

  "Well, enjoy it. Just relax and spend the week making love to that gorgeous woman." He finishes his drink. "Speaking of gorgeous women, did you see your mother tonight?" He smiles. "Damn, that woman gets me going. In all the right places, if you know what I mean."

  "Jack, we've talked about this. Do not talk about my mother."

  "Yeah, yeah." He waves his hand around. "I always forget how that bothers you."

  I see Leland across the room. He's getting up to leave. My mind goes back to those photos.

  "Jack, I need to ask you something." I move away from the bar. "Over here."

  He comes over. "What is it?"

  I lean down and lower my voice. "Someone left photos in Rachel's dressing room. They were in an envelope with her name on it."

  "Photos of what?"

  "Me, with one of the associates. They were taken the night of the banquet after our first day of meetings."

  "You were with one of the associates?"

  "No! She wanted to change clothes so I let her into the hotel room I was given, but someone took photos of us going into the room, making it look we were together. Luckily, I found the photos before Rachel did, but if she had, we wouldn't be here right now. She'd be filing divorce papers as we speak."

  "So who did it?"

  "I don't know. That's why I'm asking you. I thought it was Leland, or maybe my father, but I asked them and they both denied it."

  "They were lying."

  "No. They weren't. I could tell. Someone else did this, Jack, and I need to know who."

  "Why? What difference does it make now? She never saw them and she never will."

  "I'm sure this person has copies. They'll just send them to her again."

  "I doubt that. The members don't want you involved in a messy divorce, especially after the success of this wedding. I've already heard from several members who have made business deals just within the past hour. If you got divorced right away, the wedding would look like a set-up. Just an event to get the right people in the room, which it was, but that's our little secret." He chuckles. "Howard!" Jack waves at a man as he passes us. "I have to talk to this guy," Jack says to me. "I'll see you later."

  Jack could be right. The photos may be useless now. They were meant to stop the wedding but the plan didn't work. But I still want to know who took those photos and left them in Rachel's dressing room.

  I make my way back through the ballroom and feel someone's arm wrap around mine. I look back and see Rachel.

  "Excuse me, sir, but I'm looking for my very handsome husband. Have you seen him?"

  I smile and pull her into me and give her a kiss. "I haven't seen him, but since he's not around, would you like to dance?"

  "I would love to."

  We dance, and keep dancing until her parents come over to say goodbye. They're flying home tomorrow. We're all staying overnight in this hotel, but they have an early flight so we won't see them in the morning.

  After they leave, Royce stumbles over and says goodbye. He's been drunk for hours. He's also staying at the hotel and probably has a girl waiting in his room. Victoria was here earlier, but left hours ago. I'm sure she knows Royce will be spending the night with another woman. She knows he cheats and yet she looks the other way and pretends it isn't happening. I'm sure she'll do the same when she's his wife. Royce and Victoria are getting married in June and the wedding is going to be even larger and more extravagant than mine.

  More people leave, and Rachel and I decide to go up to our suite on the top floor. It's the nicest room at the hotel.

  "I guess this is our second honeymoon," Rachel says as I stand behind her and unzip her dress. "Or our third if you count Vegas."

  "A night or two in a hotel room is not a honeymoon. Italy was the honeymoon." I kiss her neck as I slide the dress off her. "And I'm taking you back there next year."

  She turns around and my eyes shift down to the lingerie she's wearing. A white lace bra and matching panties.

  She smiles. "We're really going back there?"

  "For our one year anniversary. Our real anniversary."

  She steps out of the dress and puts her arms around my neck. "I can't wait to go back."

  "I can't wait to get you out of this lingerie." I unhook her bra.

  She laughs. "Pearce, you didn't even look at it. I bought it special for tonight."

  "It's beautiful, but it's covering up areas of you that I would very much like to see." I kiss her. "And touch." I slip my hand under her white lace panties.

  She closes her eyes and smiles. "I love you, Pearce."

  "I love you too."

  And then I show her how much. And I will show her several more times over the course of the night.

  This has been a day of ups and downs, highs and lows, but it ended well.

  Rachel is finally my wife. In the minds of the organization and the minds of the public. She's mine. And I am hers.

  Forever.

  CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE

  25

  PEARCE

  Rachel and I left for Grand Cayman the day after the wedding. She had no idea we were taking a trip. I wanted it to be a surprise. A second honeymoon. We'd talked about going somewhere, but then she decided she just wanted to stay home and spend time together in our new house. But we needed to do more than t
hat. After such an extravagant wedding, we couldn't just go home. We still have the media watching us and they expected us to go on a honeymoon. So we went to Grand Cayman for a week.

  We're back now, but I wish we'd stayed longer. We had our own private bungalow located right on the white sand beach with beautiful views all around us. It was very secluded. We spent all our time on the beach or in bed. Rachel had never been to the Caribbean. She loved it. The weather was perfect, the ocean water was clear and warm, and best of all, we didn't have anyone bothering us.

  I liked being away. It was relaxing, and I needed to relax after the stress of finding those photos at the church. I still don't know who left those photos and I'm worried that whoever it was might do it again. I tried not to think about it when we were on vacation, but I couldn't stop my mind from going there. I considered every member, trying to figure out who did it, but it could've been anyone.

  "Nice office." Royce walks into my office, glancing around at it. "Much better than the one your father gave you."

  Royce and I are going to lunch. He invited me. He assumes we're friends. I'm not sure why. I never call him. He's always the one calling me and inviting me to do things with him. Even though we went to college together and he helped me elope, I don't consider Royce a friend. I'm always wary of him.

  "Did you have a restaurant in mind for lunch?" I ask him as I stuff some paperwork into a folder.

  "I was thinking we'd go to the gentlemen's club." He smiles. "An old married man like youself must be craving the sight of other women by now."

  "I am not going to a strip club for lunch," I tell him. The club he's referring to is a private upscale club that I went to many times when I was single. The women there are all very beautiful, but I have no desire to look at them. I have my own beautiful woman at home and she's the only one I want to see.

  He drops down into the chair across from me. "Come on, Pearce. You can't tell me you plan to be with just one woman for the rest of your life."

  "That's exactly what I'm telling you." I write myself a note to call the head of marketing when I get back. He left me a message and I forgot to call him.

  "You're too young to settle down. And you need other women in your life. Rachel can't meet all your needs. No woman can."

  "She more than meets my needs." I get up and go around my desk and take my coat from the hook on the wall. "Are you ready?"

  He stands up and walks over to me. "If she meets your needs, then what were you doing with Sophia?"

  I shut my office door and lower my voice. "What are you talking about?"

  He smiles. "Last December. After the first day of meetings, when we all went to the hotel for the banquet, you got together with Sophia."

  "How do you know that?"

  "One of the other associates told me. The blond chick that always wears that fake diamond ankle bracelet. I asked her if she'd seen you with anyone and she said you took Sophia's reservation card." He smiles. "So that's why you don't want me to be with her? Because you've claimed her as your own?"

  I throw my coat on the chair. "I was NOT with Sophia that night."

  His brows rise at my angry tone. "Relax, Pearce. I won't tell Rachel."

  "I am telling you that nothing happened."

  "Then why would you take her reservation card?"

  "She was feeling ill and unable to perform her duties. I gave her my room so she could rest."

  "Of course you did." He smiles and pats my shoulder. "Because we both know what a saint you are." He buttons his suit jacket and picks a piece of lint off it. "Isn't Sophia friends with Rachel?" He laughs a little. "That's rather dark and twisted of you, Pearce. Fucking the best friend? I'm sure Rachel wouldn't approve." He smirks.

  The photos. Was Royce the one who took them? Did he put them in her dressing room?

  I get in his face. "You fucking did it, didn't you?"

  "What the hell?" He steps back, straightening his jacket. "What are you talking about?"

  "The photos! You planted them in Rachel's dressing room at the church!"

  "What photos?" Royce is a good liar, but right now I don't think he's lying. He looks confused, and not a fake confused, but like he really doesn't know what I'm referring to.

  "Someone left photos in Rachel's dressing room before the wedding. They were photos of Sophia and me that night at the hotel. They showed us going into a room together."

  "What did Rachel do when she saw the photos?"

  "She didn't see them. I found them before she did."

  "So someone was hoping she'd see them and call off the wedding," he confirms.

  "Yes. But who would do that?"

  "Your father," he says casually, sitting back down in the chair.

  I remain standing. "No. It wasn't him. It was someone else. Who else would do it? Who was taking photos that night?"

  "No one. They're not allowed to. There's no photography allowed at those events. They reminded everyone of that at the meeting."

  "I don't remember hearing that. Regardless, someone broke the rules because photos were taken that night, at least of me. Who would do that?"

  "Someone who doesn't care about breaking the rules." He sees my accusatory expression and says, "Pearce, I swear to you, it wasn't me. Yes, I break the rules but I didn't do it." He leans back in his chair, pausing to think. "The camera would've had to have been extremely small in order for this person to hide it. And he'd have to mount it on the wall or the ceiling so no one would see it." He slowly smiles. "I know who it was."

  "Who?"

  "Your boss. Maker of the world's best surveillance equipment."

  "No," I say, quickly dismissing the idea. "Jack wouldn't do that. He'd never do that."

  "He's the only one who has the equipment. It makes sense. He's your mentor. He's supposed to keep you in line. Make you follow the rules. And marrying Rachel was definitely against the rules." Royce shrugs. "Jack's just looking out for himself. You screwed up and made him look bad. With those photos, he was trying to get Rachel out of your life so he could earn back some respect from the other members."

  It seems plausible, but it's not true. Jack wouldn't do that. He likes Rachel. He wants me to be with her. He wants me to be happy. He's told me that several times. He wouldn't betray me like this. I know he wouldn't.

  Royce yawns. "Are we going to lunch or not?"

  "No." I hold open my office door, suddenly feeling very agitated and anxious. "You need to leave. I have things to do."

  He gets up from his chair. "Then I'm going to the strip club."

  "Fine. Then go." I wait for him to leave.

  "What are you going to do?" He laughs. "Kill Jack?"

  "I don't know. But don't tell anyone about this."

  He walks out of my office.

  "Royce," I say, stopping him. "Do not tell anyone."

  He smiles. "Your secret's safe with me."

  I know that's a lie, but he has no reason to tell anyone. He only spills secrets when it benefits him and he has no use for this information. But he'll still use it against me. Royce loves keeping score, and if he does you a favor, you owe him. Helping me marry Rachel was a huge favor, and keeping quiet about these photos is another, so someday in the future I'll have to pay him back.

  I hurry down to Jack's office, trying to remain calm. Royce's theory could be completely off-base and I don't want to blow up at Jack for something he may not have done. When I reach his office, he's standing at the door with two of his salesmen.

  "Pearce, you're back," Jack says when he sees me. "That's it for today," he says to the two men. They walk off and Jack says, "How was the honeymoon?"

  "Good. Very good." I go into his office. "Can I speak with you?"

  He joins me in his office, eyeing me suspiciously. "What's wrong with you? You're acting strange. Did something happen?"

  "The photos," I say quietly because the door is open. "Did you take those photos?"

  "Pearce, why would you—"

  "You're the only
person who would have cameras small enough to hide. Did you do it, Jack? Tell me!"

  He doesn't answer but I see his mind working, like he's trying to come up with an excuse. A reason why he did it. A lie.

  Royce was right. It was Jack.

  "How could you do that?" I yell it.

  He closes his office door. "This is a place of business. Keep your goddamn voice down."

  "Tell me why you did it," I say, my body burning up with a rage so intense I feel Iike I'm about to explode. "I trusted you, Jack. And you went behind my back and betrayed me. I asked you about those photos and you lied to me!"

  He stands right in front of me, his eyes on mine. "I TOLD you to keep your voice down. I will explain everything, but you need to shut the fuck up. I mean it." He's breathing hard and his eyes are dark. He holds out his hand. "Cell phone."

  "What?"

  "Give me your cell phone."

  "I can't. We have to—"

  "Give me your goddamn cell phone!"

  I reach in my pocket and give it to him. He takes it, and his own phone, over to the safe in the wall. He punches the code in, opens the safe, and sets the phones inside.

  Then he comes back and grabs my arm and shoves me toward the door. "Elevator! Now!"

  I open the door and he goes past me and down the hall. He's walking fast and I hurry to catch up. When we reach the elevator, he waves his badge over the panel on the wall and the elevator opens. We get on, and as the doors close he waves his badge over another panel and we start descending. He didn't push any of the buttons for the lower level floors so I don't know where we're going, but the elevator continues its descent, down and down like it's never going to stop. Finally it does and the doors open to a long hallway made of concrete. He says nothing as I follow him down the hall, ending at a room. It's small and also made of concrete. Concrete walls. Concrete floors. And in the center is a table and four chairs.

  "Sit down," he orders.

  We both take a seat and I look around the empty room.

  "Jack, where the hell are we?"

  "Deep underground where no one can hear us. Tracking devices? Listening devices? None of them work down here."