by Jenna Payne
“Cace? What’s wrong?” Skye asked, not caring anymore if she was being too informal around the rest of the staff.
At this, Petra strode forward, and planted herself in front of Skye, blocking Cace from view.
“Miss Wilder, I’m afraid something has come to Mr. Arrington’s attention that makes it untenable for you to remain working at the resort,” Petra explained, clearly enjoying every part of the delivery.
“What are you talking about?” Skye demanded, unable to hold back her emotions.
“Well, how can I put this delicately in front of all these people?” Petra said, feigning unease. “I’m referring your employment history, Miss Wilder. A past job that involved you taking all your clothes off. I’m sure you can appreciate such conduct is not in keeping with the classy ethos of Arrington Woodlands. Your staff pass has been de-activated. You’re fired. Mr. Arrington has expressed to me that you should avoid setting foot on the resort as you will be turned away.”
At that, Cace was ushered into his waiting limo. Skye stood, rooted to the spot, her cheeks burning red with embarrassment.
*****
Skye pulled the covers over her head, and determined that she would not leave her bedroom for the rest of the day. No longer in the well-heeled surroundings of the resort, she actually welcomed the comfort of her own bedroom. Margo had been so worried about Skye’s well-being she’d given Skye a key to her house and insisted she not be alone. But alone was exactly how Skye wanted to be at this moment.
She wanted to hear from Cace. The man who really was out of bounds now. She hoped he would have calmed down, and decided he needed to speak to her. Had everything meant that little to him that he could just walk away from her completely? He had talked about how he always went after what he wanted no matter the obstacles–yet he wasn’t here now. Did that mean she was no longer what he wanted?
Part of her felt hurt that he hadn’t given her a chance to explain. What was so wrong about what she’d done anyway? thought Skye. Who was this silver-spooned billionaire to judge my career choices?
But deep down, she knew why he was upset. They’d reached that crucial phase in their relationship where they were finding out who the other person truly was. Petra had steamrollered her way into that delicate process. Cace had said how hard it was to trust people, and finding out from someone else about a partner’s past-career in something often considered steamy, would take a while for anyone to process.
Skye knew Petra would have done everything she could to turn Cace against her. And the worst part about all this, thought Skye, is that Cace needs my help right now. She thought of the information she’d uncovered about the arson-attack; the information that lay jotted on a piece of paper in her hand-bag. Could she really sit by and do nothing about it?
Her time at the resort had made her realize she wasn’t without skills. Remembering she’d sat in a conference room of lawyers and spotted something no-one else had...knowing that Cace had seen something in her–at least in the beginning...it had all reawakened a self-belief she’d seemed to mislay in recent years.
Begrudgingly, she pulled herself out of bed. She had an idea.
*****
Seated in yet another conference, listening to the same blather from people who loved the sound of their own voice, Cace found himself thinking of Skye. The beguiling, raven-haired woman who had been catapulted into his life. It hadn’t just been the primal sex of the kind that left his legs aching with pleasure–although he craved that too. It had been the time in between too, just being in each other’s company.
She’d had a unique beauty he’d never beheld in a woman before. He couldn’t explain it. When she’d responded to his first kiss, and started to open up to him, he felt like he was being granted access to something so rare, so special. She was his.
And then Petra had revealed the truth. That everyone in town could gain access if they wanted to.
***
On the other side of town, heckling men slumped themselves in the alcoves of the small, darkened bar. On a small stage toward the back, a pretty nude woman wriggled all over the stage, causing a surge of wolf-whistles and erections amongst the spectators.
When Skye entered the bar on the other side, she was surprised by the warmth of the regulars that recognized her.
“Thank you, boys!” she said casually, making her way through the crowd.
There was only one ‘regular’ she was looking for. Joe, the computer programmer. One of the frequent patrons who had somehow managed to avoid seeming creepy or overly lecherous. He had sat through many of Skye’s performances.
She found him in his usual spot. Glasses askew, tie-hanging loose, and his mop of blond-brown hair disheveled from a long day at the high-tech corporation he worked at.
“Skye!” he exclaimed as she approached. He adjusted his glasses as if he was dreaming.
Skye slunk into the booth next to him, and wasted little time in explaining what she needed from him. He had been surprised; it was not the type of request he’d expected from his favorite exotic dancer. Ultimately, he’d agreed to help though.
“Shouldn’t there be a naked lap-dance in all this?” Joe had joked.
“You can give me one if you want…just as long as it won’t interfere with your skills on the computer!” Skye retorted.
***
Three days later, Joe contacted Skye with the information she’d requested. Using the IP number she’d given him, he’d been able to trace the model-number of the laptop from which the forum-post originated. He’d tracked the location too. A router on Arrington Woodlands estate.
*****
Heart pounding, Skye made her way down the back corridor which led to the basement office of the hotel. Having compiled the shift schedules of all the staff, she’d chosen a time when Dee would be on duty. It had been a massive gamble as he could easily have turned her away. But the risk paid off. She’d spoken to Dee frankly about how Petra dismissed her without any opportunity to explain herself, and how she wanted a chance to try and speak with Cace directly. Reading the hurt in Skye’s eyes, as her hair blew wildly around her face, Dee had shrugged and said, “I didn’t see anything!”
Once she’d entered the hotel building, going to speak directly to Cace was what she’d wanted to do more than anything. But she couldn’t. She knew this would be her only opportunity to find out what she needed to find out.
Skye couldn’t risk trying to pass a message through Margo as she had no idea who in the resort might intercept it.
Now as she hurried to the end of the corridor, she felt a gripping pain in her abdomen and paused to catch her breath. Voices of people from the upstairs floors. She had to be quick.
The oldest part of the building, the basement office was accessed through a combination code. Skye entered the combination code she’d used before–and it still worked.
That was a start, she thought, pushing open the door, and squeezing her way through the mounds of boxes and paperwork.
The sudden sounds of footsteps sent Skye’s pulse racing again. A few seconds later, she heard someone entering the code to the office door. Quickly, Skye ducked for cover under one of the desks, trying to quieten her breathing. A hotel worker entered, dumped a box of office supplies on one of the desks, and then left. It was a few minutes later before Skye was satisfied that she was safe to emerge from under the desk. Getting to her feet, Skye settled her breath, and refocused on what she needed to do.
It didn’t take her long to find what she was looking for. She’d remembered it was contained inside a red lever-arch folder. Cranking open the folder, she stared at the list of all the laptops in the resort. Beside each, their make and model number–and then the most important part: the staff-member assigned to it. Skye rolled out a little piece of paper on which she’d scribbled the model-number that Joe had given her.
Finding the corresponding number, Skye had to do a double-take. She re-read the name a few times to confirm what she was actually se
eing. But there could be no mistake. Typed in clear text next to the relevant laptop: PETRA RUNINGTON.
Skye struggled to make sense of this latest revelation. Her whole body felt numb, and she experienced that rush of pain in the pit of her abdomen again.
Petra? The person who’d guarded Cace’s interests like a hawk. In public, at least. Skye started to appreciate why Cace felt he needed to be so hard-hearted in business. She wavered over whether she should give up going any further. These underhanded practices seemed too advanced...beyond her grasp. But then that surge of belief came creeping back. She resolved to work this out. She needed to put together more pieces of the puzzle.
If Petra was trying to tarnish Cace’s public reputation, what did she gain in this? On paper, she gained nothing. The only people suffering were Cace, and the board of directors. Skye paused on that. The board of directors. Everyone kept talking about the board of directors being under pressure. If the pressure got too much, they would presumably vote to replace Cace as CEO. That director would have something to gain. So Petra had to be associated with someone on the board. But there were sixteen directors on the board. How would she work out which one?
She moved across the basement office, and found a list with pictures of the current 16 members of the board of directors. There was a brief bio next to each one–but as Skye scanned through each, she wondered what she expected the bio to contain? “This member is planning a take-over with Petra Runington”?
Then she realized Petra herself may have given Skye the answer. Dartmouth College. It was what Petra spoke about repeatedly, how she’d graduated from Dartmouth College. Class of 2006. There was only one member of the board of directors who had graduated from Dartmouth College. Sean Cohen. Class of 2006. A coincidence? Or could he just be the person Petra was colluding with?
She needed more time to think this all through. This was not the place to ponder. She put the office back to how it was, and then quietly closed the door.
As she hurried up the small flight of stairs and onto the ground floor landing, she heard a voice she’d been hoping not to hear for some time. Petra. Wasting no time, Skye darted to her left, around a bend in the corridor. She found herself panting to catch her breath as Petra’s voice got louder.
The pain in her abdomen got more intense. Horribly intense. Like something she’d never experienced before. Petra was getting closer. Skye tried to find cover, but she was now using one arm to hold her abdomen. With a groan signifying defeat, Skye felt herself losing consciousness, and slumped to the ground.
***
“You cut that fine,” smiled Alejandro. “A few seconds later, and it would have been Petra not me that found you.”
Skye rubbed her head, feeling the grogginess slowly abate.
“Thanks...” she said, becoming aware of her surroundings. She was no longer in the hotel corridor. There was a slight chill to the outside air, and Skye realized that Alejandro had brought her out onto one of the stone patios, overlooking the golf courses.
“Well, we’ve gotta look after each other around here,” Alejandro replied softly, reminding her of her own words.
“I know what it must look like but I wasn’t doing anything bad...” Skye started to explain.
Alejandro offered a smile, but Skye realized she would have to tell him more than that. She didn’t know who to trust any more. She was sick of games. She settled for the truth.
“I believe I’ve found evidence that Petra is behind the recent arson attacks,” Skye said.
Alejandro raised an eyebrow. She understood that most people would be cynical of anything negative she had to say about Petra, so she continued, “I could be wrong, but I believe she might be working with one of the directors, Sean Cohen to have Cace replaced as CEO...”
Her voice trailed off from exhaustion. Alejandro looked at her sympathetically.
“I’ll give you–Petra’s a bitch,” said Alejandro. “But why would she be colluding with Sean Cohen?”
“They graduated from the same university in the same year. I’m just piecing together the links. Maybe there’s more there. I don’t know. I’m still working things out. Perhaps they’re dating?”
Alejandro laughed at that comment.
“Not a chance.”
“Why do you say that?” asked Skye, frowning at how he could be so certain.
“She doesn’t roll that way. She’s a lesbian.”
Skye was surprised. “Are you sure? How do you know?”
“Trust me, I know. I’ve even heard her on the phone to her female lover.”
Skye’s head began to ache as she felt her ‘theory’ going up in smoke. Maybe she was right to think this was beyond her. She was shooting in the dark. Making connections that might not even exist. She needed more.
“Please don’t say anything. I need time to work this out!”
Alejandro assured her he wouldn’t, and she believed him.
Skye got to her feet, her mind working over-time. As fast as Skye had untangled the mystery, the mystery had re-tangled itself. And now there was another mystery to untangle. Why she had blacked out? And what was the pain in her abdomen?
*****
The results of the pregnancy test confirmed what Skye had known it would. She was pregnant with Cace’s baby. She clasped her stomach, contemplating the future. Was she ready to be a mother?
Skye had never pondered long on the idea of being a mother. She’d decided she would not bring a child into this world until she could provide the stability she’d never experienced as a child. So much for that concept, she thought despondently.
If Cace hadn’t wanted to speak to her before, she doubted very much he would now. For several hours, she’d considered never telling him. He’d made no attempt to contact her. He obviously didn’t care.
In the end, she’d decided he had a right to know. She’d phoned Margo and asked her to pass on the message to Cace: she was pregnant with his baby, and she was letting him know because he was entitled to know. Margo had been shocked, but sensing the defeat in Skye’s voice, she’d not criticized. She’d said she would get back in contact when she heard from Cace. Skye waited.
That afternoon, Margo called. She sounded hesitant.
“Honey…it’s not good news,” she began.
“What did he say?” Skye cut in, needing to know.
“I got a message from him before I left for work this afternoon,” Margo started. She paused. “He’s not ready at this time, Skye.”
Skye felt her heart sink. Her worst fears had been confirmed, Cace didn’t care.
***
Skye turned up on a construction site where Margo was overseeing new staff. Skye had held her emotions inside for so long, that now she needed a shoulder to cry on.
Margo parted her strong arms, and held Skye tightly. There and then, Skye wanted to sob despairingly. She held it together.
Several construction workers came over to get Margo’s opinion on something, but Margo put a hand up, signaling for them to come back later. Now was not the time. Skye needed her at that moment.
“Let me tell you what I’m gonna do, sweetheart” Margo said affectionately. “I’m gonna get my assistant, Ramon to clear up my schedule for later. I’m going to finish work early. And you and I are going to that greasy diner across the road, and we’re gonna gorge on the biggest pile-up of ice-cream they can serve us.”
Skye smiled. Margo called over Ramon, and told him to clear anything from her schedule after 4pm.
In the meantime, Skye said she would walk over to the nearby promenade of shops while she waited for Margo to finish. That had been what she’d told Margo. It wasn’t true, however. She wouldn’t be doing that at all. She had just witnessed something which had shattered her entire world.
As Margo had been talking to her so-called assistant, Ramon, Skye had noticed something quite disturbing on Ramon’s lower arm. A small bird tattoo. Just like the one on the CCTV of the arson-attack.
***
The first one, received three weeks ago, played from the speaker, and Skye’s worst fears were instantly confirmed. Petra’s unmistakable voice on the line...loving...as she finalized plans with her ‘sweetheart’ Margo to have Sean Cohen appointed as the new CEO of Arrington Woodlands. It was hard to absorb.
Next came the second message. This one had been received only two days after Skye was dismissed: it was Cace. “Hi...” he began on the recording, his voice sounding hesitant and not the confident Cace she knew. “I understand you know how to contact Skye Wilder. It’s Cace Arrington here from Arrington Woodlands. I wondered if you could give me her number. I really need…would like to speak to her.” He paused on the message. “I’d like to say I’m sorry for her recent dismissal. I think I made a mistake. And...well, I’d really like to speak to her again.”
As Skye heard Cace’s words, she felt her whole body shaking. He had been trying to speak to her all this time. She had meant something to him. Before she could fully take it all in, the third message began. It was Cace again. “Sent today at thirteen hundred hours,” detailed the automated answer-phone voice.
“Hi, it’s Cace Arrington. I just received the message about Skye. Please. I’ve been trying to reach her. Tell her everything is OK and...look, just tell her, I need to speak with her. I want to be with her.”
With that, the message ended.
*****