“I can’t picture you like that. Nineteen. Stuttering around. I bet you were adorable.”
“I don’t know what it was, but Joshua Smith Elliston thought I was at the very least believable. He sat there, leaning in and listening. He never said a word. I sat there two or three minutes after I was done talking, watching him puff on his cigar. Then he looked at me and said, ‘thanks.’ That was it. It was like he was dismissing me. I stood up and started to walk away.”
“Without getting anything in return?” Aria asked, enthralled by the story.
“I turned to him and said I wanted a job. I’d helped him out, and I wanted a job in return. He looked me square in the face and said, ‘You gave away your leverage boy. You told me everything before you asked for anything. There’s no incentive for me to hire you.’ I couldn’t believe it. I’d been an idiot.”
“Ouch,” she groaned, seeming to feel his pain. “I guess you weren’t always so strategic and brilliant.”
“Yeah. But I tipped my head back and puffed out my chest and told him, yes, I had screwed up, but I would only want to work for a man who’d do the right thing anyway. If he couldn’t see that I deserved a job, and that I could be an asset to him, then he wasn’t worth my time.”
“You didn’t,” she gasped, slapping her hand to his chest in disbelief.
“I was always pretty quick on my feet. It worked. He burst out laughing and told me to sit back down. He asked what kind of job I wanted, and I pitched him my idea.”
“Which was?”
“I knew nothing about the finance world at the time. I didn’t deserve any job of consequence in his company, and I would have been setting myself up for failure. But I also didn’t want some entry-level job that would take me nowhere. I told him I’d go undercover in exchange for his mentorship. He could put me wherever he wanted. I’d caddy for people, or bartend at an event. I’d be his eyes and ears. I’d gather information in exchange for him teaching me a marketable skill I could build a future on. It was a win/win.”
“How long did you do that?” Aria asked, wide-eyed. “That was so incredibly brilliant and ballsy.”
“Four years. For four long years, my version of college, I was his apprentice. I saw every single aspect of the business. And in exchange I stayed in the shadows. I listened. I reported. I saved his ass a dozen times.”
“How did you get from there to here? The way Libby was talking about you and your success tonight, you may as well have been Mr. Elliston yourself.”
“At some point,” Monroe said, not realizing how much the memory would gnaw at his mind when he finally let it out of the cage, “the competency issue became real. Maybe there had been hints of it years before, something those two men were trying to exploit. But four years later, it was unavoidably apparent. He was into his seventies by then and suffering from the early stages of dementia. By this time, I was the closest person in his life. He’d brought me onto his executive team.”
“Full circle,” she sighed. “You were going to have to stand there and do the exact thing those two men in the coffee shop were talking about doing years earlier.”
“But I didn’t,” Monroe admitted, shame forming a lump in his throat. “I covered for him. He asked me to, and I did.”
“That’s admirable,” Aria chimed in, squeezing him a little tighter. “It sounds like you cared about him.”
“I did,” Monroe whispered, grateful the room was dark, and she couldn’t see his face. “He was like a father to me. I thought I was helping him, but in the end I destroyed everything.”
“I’m sure you—” Aria began, but he cut her off, not remotely worthy of her pardon for his failures.
“We made it seven months. I was telling him which contracts to sign, which deals to make, and which to avoid. I was running the company as he fell apart. It all came crashing down one day in a meeting. He’d been on some medication that seemed to be helping. He’d been lucid for weeks with only a few spells when he was tired. That morning, I should have seen something was off. When the meeting with the board members began, he lost it. He was confused and furious, yelling and tossing things around. Then suddenly he was terrified. The board of directors launched an investigation and discovered I’d been pulling the strings for months. None of them liked me in the first place. I was this uneducated kid who didn’t deserve all I’d been given. They were probably right.”
“You were trying to help him.”
“Intentions don’t matter. It’s outcome. That’s all that matters. He was immediately released from his responsibilities, escorted from the property like a criminal. When he lost control of the company, he lost his purpose. From that point he faded quickly.”
“Didn’t he have family?”
“Just a step-daughter who lived in Europe. She was young. I wouldn’t have expected her to saddle herself with the responsibility of caring for Joshua.”
“And what happened to you? I don’t expect a bunch of board members who hated you and discovered you’d duped them were eager to keep you employed.”
“Oh hell, no. They tossed me out on my ass and made sure every person of significance in the industry heard what I’d done. The problem with their strategy was when I left, the company folded six months later. They tried to outsource all the customer service and accounting. They cut corners Joshua and I had fought to ensure they couldn’t. It was a poorly executed strategy, and it cost them half of their loyal employees and many of their customers. Without Joshua’s friendly presence and me at the helm, everything crumbled. Nothing sold me quicker to the next company than the idea that they couldn’t survive without me. So I went on to the next company and the next until I was ready to launch a startup of my own.”
“And Mr. Elliston?” Aria asked, back to drawing tiny circles on his chest. “How is he now?”
“Dead,” Monroe forced out. “About three years now. I’ll admit it sent me off the deep end. My company went global. My success skyrocketed. But I knocked quite a few people off the ladder on my way up. The lessons of compassion Elliston taught me, they were gone. I was angry at the world.”
“I have found you to be plenty compassionate,” Aria offered. “I told you all the things I observed when I met you, and I don’t think you were some gifted actor trying to fool me.”
“Business is different. I was strolling down the street with you. Eating a meal. Had we been hammering out a deal you wouldn’t have found me so endearing. Trust me, people don’t. Those early days of undercover work for Joshua stuck with me. I have skills, and in order for them to work, I can’t let emotions into the equation.”
“I understand that.” She sighed. “I tucked those pesky emotion things away a long time ago. I don’t think I’d have made it here this long if I hadn’t. But I can let them out long enough to say thank you for what you did tonight. I hope you don’t get in trouble for smashing that camera.”
“No trouble,” he assured her, and this time he was the one giving her a tighter squeeze. He knew the only real trouble coming was from the way he felt with her lying curled against him. Sex was on his mind. That was a given. You couldn’t have a woman like Aria near and not have it affect you. But tonight as her breaths became slow and deliberate and her eyes fluttered with the approaching burden of sleep, he found it enough to hold her. That was new. That was trouble.
Chapter 22
It had been an eternity since Aria had off two days in a row and could sleep in. And those certainly didn’t include breakfast in bed or a long morning soak in the bath. Monroe was gone when she woke up, but the note he’d left on the nightstand was sweet enough to keep her from being concerned about his absence.
Falling asleep in his arms last night had been shelter from the storm that was her life. Over the years she’d built walls around her emotions, around her mind, that kept her from crumbling under the weight of her circumstances. Monroe was the first person to become a true protector. She closed her eyes and allowed herself hope for the future. Who wo
uld Monroe fire first when he swooped in and wrote an enormous check to buy this place? She couldn’t wait to see the look on management’s faces when they realized their reign was over.
A light wrap on the door sent her shooting upright in bed and covering herself with the sheets. “Hello?” she asked, completely unfamiliar with being on this side of the hotel room door.
“Aria? It’s me, Loretta.” Her friend’s familiar voice trickled in through the door and warmed Aria’s heart. In a hurry she dressed and pulled the door open, yanking her friend inside.
“Loretta, it’s so good to see you,” Aria cried, squeezing her friend tightly. “This has been a whirlwind.”
“I’m hearing rumors. I come back from being sick and in the hospital bunk to find you’re gone. People are saying you met a man? A guest? You must be crazy. You’ll get in so much trouble.” Loretta was a kind-eyed, dark-skinned plump woman with a voice that rose and fell like an old forgotten symphony. Her gap-toothed smile and booming cackle of a laugh were what drew Aria to her in the first place. At work she was as quiet as a mouse and as obedient as a well-trained dog. It turned Aria’s stomach to see how small a woman like Loretta had to make herself in order to comply with the expectation of this place. Her personality had to be nearly extinguished for her to be a suitable employee. When Aria had welcomed her as a new bunk mate upon her arrival, Loretta blossomed freely into her truest self. And what a stunning bloom she was.
“It’s not like that at all,” Aria assured her. “I did meet a man, but I’m not having some fling. I can’t tell you everything, but know that things here are going to get a lot better. We’re going to be all right. Maybe you can even go back to Jamaica.”
“You know I can’t,” she sighed, her worried face turning quickly sad. “Even if I get enough money to get back home I don’t have anything waiting for me. No place to live. No job. I’d die in the street before I’d be able to get back on my feet.”
“Just trust me,” Aria said brightly as she took Loretta’s hand and squeezed it. “Don’t I look well? Don’t I look happy?”
“You do,” Loretta agreed, though she still sounded tentative. “But happy can be a trick. Be happy and be careful. You have to be both.”
“I know that.” She giggled. “I’ve always known that. Things are happening here. You have to have faith.”
“Faith.” Loretta laughed wildly. “I’ve spent two years trying to get you to have a little faith. I’ve never met a more cynical disbeliever in my life. Now you’re sitting around and preaching faith and hope to me?”
“It’s a strange world, isn’t it?” Aria was grateful to see her friend and share this moment with her.
“Are you falling for him?” Loretta asked, suddenly serious. “You have that starry look in your eye. I’ve had it before myself. I know you, and a woman like you is not easily impressed. He must be something.”
“He is.” Aria sighed, falling heavily onto the bed. “I can’t believe I’m letting myself get swept up in this. But I’m due, right? I mean, I deserve it as much as the next girl.”
“Even more,” Loretta said with a sweet smile. “I have to get to work now.” She coughed a raspy deep hack that instantly worried Aria. She’d taken three days off of work, which was almost unheard of, though it was obviously without pay.
When Aria looked beyond her lens of happiness and excitement, she could see how drawn Loretta still looked. Her eyes, though bright and kind as always, were rimmed with dark circles. Her hand trembled as she reached for the door.
“Are you sure you’re all right? What did the doctor say was wrong?” Aria asked, urgency bubbling up inside her. “Can you get another day to rest?”
“Another day?” Loretta laughed humorlessly and her eyes were shrouded in sadness. “You know damn well it’s a miracle I got the three already. Losing that money is going to kill me. The doctor said I’m fine now. Just a bug.”
“I’ll cover you for the extra money,” Aria offered, but before she’d even gotten the words out Loretta was declining.
“You aren’t doing any better than I am. You’ll be short a few days’ pay too, but at least you’re making the most of it.”
The electronic lock on the door clicked, and Loretta let the handle go and jumped back suddenly.
When Monroe stepped in, Aria watched Loretta’s shoulders slump and her head drop down apologetically.
“Oh,” Monroe said, looking startled. “Hello, I didn’t expect anyone else up here.”
Loretta looked ready to jump off the balcony if Monroe didn’t move aside from the door to let her by. “I was just leaving, sir,” she said, stifling another cough. “I’m sorry to disturb you.”
“You haven’t,” Monroe said, his eyes shooting over to Aria for help. “Any friend of Aria’s is welcome here. Don’t leave on my account. Would you like a drink?”
Loretta looked at him appraisingly, her lips in a rigid line. “No thank you,” she edged out. “I have to clock in. My shift is starting soon.” Like a mouse fleeing the paws of a feisty cat, Loretta darted out of the room. Aria heard her cough as she hustled down the hallway.
“I didn’t mean to scare her off,” Monroe apologized as he tucked his phone into his pocket and put his computer down on the table by the door.
“She had to get to work,” Aria explained, knowing his presence had rattled Loretta. “She’s not been feeling well, and I’m worried about her. The doctor at the hospital cabin cleared her to come back, but she doesn’t look or sound up for it.”
“If she needs more time, she should rest,” Monroe agreed. “I got the flu in Paris one year, and I didn’t take the time to kick it. Ended up in the hospital with pneumonia. Now the French certainly know how to nurse you back to health, but it was wildly inconvenient. She shouldn’t press her luck.”
“We don’t get paid sick time. She’ll starve if she doesn’t work. And once the doctor says to go back, you have to go back.” Aria glanced out the sliding door, wondering if she’d see Loretta passing by her down below. “Loretta has been a very good friend to me. She’s such a positive person no matter what happens. And her laugh, there’s nothing like it.”
“I’d like to hear that some time,” Monroe said, stepping behind Aria and sliding his arms around her waist. He pulled her in tight so she could feel his solid build against her back. A pang of selfishness flooded her. She’d have another indulgent day of pleasure and excess while Loretta would be trying to muster the energy to get through a twelve hour shift in the kitchen. Aria knew the steam from the industrial dishwasher zapped your energy. She knew the slippery floor meant you had to move tentatively. The racks of dishes were heavy. Her day would be a slow torture.
“You look sad,” Monroe observed, brushing her hair from her shoulder and kissing her neck gently. “How can I cheer you up?”
“I’d like to take you somewhere,” she said, her voice starting small and then growing. “It’s silly, and I know you’ll mock me for it, but I’d like to take you anyway. Have you finished your work?”
“For now,” he answered, his lips still pressed to her neck, his hot breath warming her skin. “I have to meet with James later. I know Libby wants to see you again. You made quite the impression on her. I thought dinner sounded good. Would we be back by then?”
“Yes,” Aria assured him. “I’m second guessing myself already. It was a dumb idea.”
“I love dumb ideas,” Monroe teased, spinning her around and kissing her gently. “I’m burned out on all this work stuff. Let’s do something mindless, reckless, and foolish.”
“This feels like a dream. None of this feels real.” She sighed, pressing her cheek to his chest and breathing in his scent, praying this wasn’t a fantasy she was about to wake from. He planted a firm pinch on her ass, and she yelped at the squeeze.
“That’s what you do, right?” he teased, a big jolly laugh rising from his stomach. “Someone says, this is like a dream and you pinch them.”
“I’m cert
ainly awake,” she replied, rubbing the aching spot. “Just wait and see what marks I put on you later.”
Chapter 23
Monroe wasn’t used to being led around. He was the kind of man who still liked to drive himself to every destination no matter how much everyone insisted he should use a car service. Somehow Aria had convinced him to take a bus ride where they sat shoulder to shoulder with strangers. The things this woman could get him to do were limitless. Frighteningly so.
“We’re almost there,” she promised, squeezing his bicep and looking at him affectionately. “It’s a bumpy ride, but this a part of the island very few guests get to see.”
Monroe fought the urge to mutter he clearly saw why. He’d been to desolate corners of the earth. This wasn’t the worst location he’d seen, but it was in the top ten. “You said we’d have an adventure. It looks like we’re in the right place for one.”
“There,” she said through a wide grin. “That’s where we’re going.”
Monroe had to crane his neck past the other passengers to see what Aria was pointing at. There was a purple neon sign in the shape of a hand that was flashing on and off. The darkened windows were painted with white letters reading: Psychic.
“Are you pointing to that place?” Monroe asked, hardly holding back his look of unease.
“I knew you’d think it was stupid,” Aria said, completely deflated. “It’s just something I do.”
“Do you believe in this stuff?” he asked, trying to snuff out the cynicism. “I mean, obviously you’ve been there so you must. I took you for more of a skeptic.”
“It’s not like that,” Aria shrugged. “You’ll see. You just have to experience it to understand.”
The bus screeched to a stop, and the whooshing sound of opening doors filled his ears. Monroe stood and couldn’t believe this was where he was headed. A palm reader.
Untamed Devotion Page 10