“You don’t have to do anything, sweetheart. You don’t have to do anything you don’t want to do. The help is there if you want it.”
***
The next morning, Marlene awoke in her bed, unsure how she got there. She wiped the makeup remnants her eyes and tried to piece together the events of last night, struggling against the pounding in her head as she did so. She peeked out the window at the rising sun and wondered if she had enough time to shower before the morning meeting with the staff, then gathered her hair in a ponytail and quietly opened the bedroom door. She peeked up and down the hall to see if anyone was stirring, and quietly made her way to the kitchen for some coffee. She spotted Dave standing beside the coffee pot, and suddenly the events of last night started coming together.
“Good morning, Sunshine,” he sang as she entered, holding her head.
“Oh. My. God. We went out last night.”
“Yea, we did. How are you feeling?”
“Awful. How did I get here?”
“I brought you home. You were a mess,” he laughed.
“Oh. Well, thank you. I think.”
“Nothing happened, Marlene. I was a complete gentleman. I mean, I had no idea you were such a lightweight.”
She ignored him, stirring her coffee and wondering what she might have said to Dave on their impromptu date. She hesitated to ask and hoped for the best. She stirred the sugar until it dissolved, grabbed a croissant and made her way out.
“Thanks again,” she said, and went to her office. She had just started looking at the schedule for the day when a knock sounded at the door.
“Hello there,” Richard said with a teasing smile. “Rough night?”
“Apparently. I can’t say I remember much. Dave was a real life saver bringing me here.”
“Yes. I met him in the kitchen last night. He told me all about it.”
“He did? Well, there wasn’t much to tell,” she said, watching his face and wondering just how much Dave had said. He seemed unconcerned though, and even a little distracted.
“Well, he did say you were pretty plastered, so … Anyway, we’re meeting in my office today at noon, that should give you plenty of time to freshen up.” He tapped on the door and walked away.
Probably to hurry back to Sherry, Marlene fumed. Marlene was convinced that she could best anything that Sherry had to offer. She even entertained thoughts of getting Sherry out of the picture, completely. It was a plan she had been working on with Mrs. Black for some time. But, the old lady had grown a little soft with all the talk of the baby’s arrival. She would have to find a new approach and a new confidante. She would need someone on the inside, who could help her devise a plan and see it through. Someone she could trust, and would listen to her.
She scrolled through the contacts in her phone and found Dave.
Meet for drinks tonight? she texted.
***
Later that day, Marlene attended the afternoon meeting with Richard and Evelyn. When she arrived, she was startled to see Sherry sitting at the boardroom table.
“Why aren’t you in bed?” she quizzed Sherry.
“I’m feeling much better, and Richard thought I needed a change of scenery,” she answered.
Marlene took a seat and offered a polite smile. “Am I still on bed rest duty? Or can I move on to other things? I mean, it looks like Richard has the bed rest thing under control.” Marlene knew she was being rude, but she didn’t care. She was peeved to see Sherry sitting at the table, as if she belonged there.
Richard cleared his throat and gave her a warning look. “We’ll still need to help Sherry when I’m not able to, but I have the evenings covered.” He glanced at Sherry with a wink.
Marlene was far from amused and changed the subject.
“Mrs. Black, where are we with the press tour?”
“Marlene, what has gotten into you? You’re rather ornery today.”
“She had a late night,” Richard answered.
Sherry perked up, wanting to hear more about Marlene’s late night and how Richard knew about it.
Marlene’s phone buzzed with a text message from Dave.
Sure. What time?
“I’m just anxious to get things in order today. I have plans later,” she said, deleting Dave’s message.
“I hope those plans don’t involve drinking,” Richard joked.
Evelyn interrupted the banter. “Let’s get back to the matter at hand. The press surrounding Richard and Sherry has turned negative. There have been a lot of negative reports about the two of you and it’s time for a positive spin.”
“Mrs. Black, if I may, why do we care so much about what the press says or thinks? Do we really have to explain ourselves to them? Do they need to know that I’m on bed rest? What business is it of theirs?”
“Their business runs our business, dear. Having a positive profile in the process can make or break this corporation. I don’t expect you understand it all, since you’ve just joined us. But know that you are being watched. We all are. What we do says more than what we say. We have to give them what they seek. It’s all a part of the game.
Richard stood up. “I was wondering the same, Mother. Maybe we should avoid the media this time. Remember, Sherry’s in a high risk pregnancy right now. I just don’t think she needs any added stress at the moment.”
“Then why is she here?” demanded Marlene.
The room sat silent as Marlene’s words hung in the air.
Sherry cleared her throat. “I’m here, Sherry, because I am a part of this family-slash-corporation now. I know that doesn’t sit well with you, but it’s a fact. I’m not sure what kind of relationship you and Richard once had, or you wished you had, but it doesn’t exist. So, as soon as you stop despising me for being Richard’s partner, the easier all of this will be.”
Richard squeezed Sherry’s hand and smiled.
Marlene grabbed her smartphone and ran out of the room.
“Okay. I think we’re done here,” said Evelyn. She gathered her things and left abruptly.
Richard sat down next to Sherry, rubbing her shoulder.
“I’m sorry, Richard. Was I out of line? I just feel like it had to be said. Didn’t it?”
“I don’t know. It’s definitely what everyone was thinking. I don’t think there would really be any good time for that discussion.” He leaned in and kissed her on the forehead. “Let’s get you back into bed and order you some lunch. I think you’ve had enough excitement today.”
Richard walked with Sherry back to their suite, arm in arm.
Chapter 12
That night, Marlene met Dave at a bar downtown. She sipped club soda and feigned interest in him as she gathered the information she needed to find out if he would be willing to help her get rid of Sherry, or at least make her want to leave Richard.
“Why do you want her out of the picture?” Dave asked as he sipped his beer and stared into Marlene’s eyes.
“She’s no good for Richard.”
“And you are?”
“Oh, that’s not it at all,” Marlene insisted.
“I think it is,” Dave retorted.
“No. I actually like younger men,” she said, leaning over the table to take a drink of his beer.
“Really?” Dave asked, thinking maybe his gentlemanly gesture last night had paid off.
“Yes. Things would just run so much smoother without Sherry there interrupting everything. She basically took over a meeting today. Something I’ve never seen Richard do before. He’s had girlfriends in the past, but none of them ever crossed that line.”
“Were any of them pregnant with his child?”
Marlene shouted, “Of course not! I just don’t feel like it’s good for the corporation. I don’t care what Richard does in his private life. I don’t care who he falls in love with.” She was rambling now, trying to convince herself of the words she was saying. “I don’t care that she’s pregnant with his child. I don’t care about any of that. I jus
t want smooth sailing for the Black corporation and positivity for the future.”
“So. Where do I come in? How can I help?” Dave asked.
“Well, you can help by lurking behind the scenes and capturing things that maybe Richard doesn’t see.”
“Like a spy?”
“Exactly.”
“Well, that’s going to be hard, since she spends most of her time in the bedroom,” Dave explained. “Maybe I could get some unflattering pictures of her, or of them fighting and sell them to the press.”
He paused. “Can I ask you a question, Marlene?”
“You can ask.”
“Are you in love with Richard?”
Marlene was shocked. She didn’t feel like she had been so transparent. “What gives you that idea?”
“You said a lot of things last night when you were drinking.”
Marlene could feel her face getting hot. “I’m certainly not in love with Richard. I do feel very strongly about him. He has been a huge part of my life as an employer and he’s helped me through a lot of things.”
“I just thought maybe you wanted Sherry out of the picture so you could step in.”
“Is that what it looks like to you?” Marlene asked.
“Sort of.”
“Well, that’s not the case.” Marlene smiled and placed her hand on Dave’s knee.. He was shaping up to be the perfect cohort in her scheme. He was young and dumb enough to think she was interested in him, while willing to help her and make her happy at any cost.
***
Sherry sat on her bed, working on a crossword puzzle, while Richard sat by the window tapping away on his laptop. She grew restless and tried to reposition herself, then dropped the newspaper and placed the pen on the nightstand, sighing. She was allowed to move around more now, but she was still supposed to spend most of her time in bed, and the monotony was making her restless.
Richard left the room, picking up the breakfast tray. “Can I get you anything while I’m down that way?”
“Wings for this bed so I can fly?” she laughed. “No, thanks. Well, maybe some tea.”
When Richard stopped in to the kitchen to fix a cup of tea for Sherry, he saw Dave typing on his smartphone at the kitchen counter.
“Good afternoon, sir,” Dave said, quickly putting his phone away. “Can I help you?”
“Relax, kid. I’m just getting a cup of tea. You’re allowed a little downtime.”
“Yes sir,” Dave said, trying to suppress the surge of resentment at being called kid.
After Richard left, Dave sent a text to Marlene.
Maybe we can poison her tea.
Marlene responded.
Come to my office now.
When Dave arrived, Marlene briskly closed the door behind him.
“What are you doing?” she demanded.
“What do you mean?”
“That text! Don’t ever leave a trail. Is that clear?”
Dave stared at Marlene, his mouth slightly open. She leaned in closer to him and whispered, “Do you understand?”
Dave nodded.
“Okay, then, you can go,” she said, smiling at him. “But maybe we can meet again, after work.”
***
On the way to Mrs. Black’s office, Marlene rehearsed how she would address her concerns about Sherry’s growing place in Richard’s life. The office door was slightly closed, and Marlene could her Evelyn talking to someone, maybe a phone call. She stood outside to wait for her to finish, leaning in to listen.
“Yes. We’ll need at least twenty tents, probably more. I know we’ll be expecting a large crowd. Yes. We are thrilled. Thank you, and I appreciate you keeping this under wraps from the media. Thank you again. Bye.”
After Evelyn hung up, Marlene peeked her head around the door.
“Knock, knock,” she sang as she entered the office.
“Oh. I didn’t hear you come in, Marlene. How long were you standing there?”
“Long enough to hear you ordering party tents. What’s the occasion?”
Evelyn walked toward the office door and made sure it was closed. She sat down next to Marlene and spoke quietly, “A surprise wedding.”
“Wedding? Who?”
“Well, Richard and Sherry, of course.”
Marlene was speechless. This was not what she had expected. She had held out hope that as long as they were not married, the whole thing might blow over.
“So, what did you want to meet with me about?” Evelyn asked, waiting for Marlene to speak.
“You know what, it’s uh, well, it’s really not that important. It can wait for another time.” Marlene stood up and made her way to the door.
“Are you sure?”
“I’m sure. I’ve got a ton of work to do. It can wait.” Marlene scurried out of the office and dried the tears from her eyes as she walked briskly down the hallway, finally finding herself by the back garage. She fished through her bag for a cigarette, and suddenly Dave was standing before her, lighting one and handing it to her.
“Are you crying?” he peered into her face, and she tried to hide under her hair.
“No. I’m fine.”
“You’re not fine. What happened?”
“Nothing happened,” she insisted. “I’m leaving early today. I need to go home and do some things.”
“Okay.”
“How about we meet for dinner?” Marlene squinted as she looked in Dave’s direction. “I think I have an idea about how to get rid of Sherry.”
“What do you mean, get rid?” he asked. “Like make her uncomfortable?”
“Yes, very, very uncomfortable. So much that she may never get over it.” She stomped out the cigarette beneath her heel, blew the smoke above her head, and turned and kissed him hard on the lips before hurrying away.
To be continued …
Carrying the Billionaire's Baby: A Clean BWWM Billionaire Romance (The Billionaire Baby Mystery Book 1) Page 6