by Love, L. J.
Outside the ballroom, Will took Aurora down the hall to a secluded corner. She prepared herself mentally for the onslaught of questions and accusations that would most certainly follow, but just as suddenly as he had pulled her from the room, Will pushed her up against the wall in the corner and kissed her deeply. The fear she had felt subsided into surprise which quickly melted into the passion of his kiss. She threw her leg around his and he boosted her up onto his hips. They kissed until they were both out of breath and then he let his kisses trail off down her neck.
“Will, I can explain...”
“Aurora, don’t ever short change me again. Did you really think that Axel Arlington could ever convince me into believing a word about you or anyone else for that matter? The man is a pariah. Everyone knows about his dreadful gambling problem and how much debt he’s racked up. He’ll practically do anything for a dime right now.”
“Will, I don’t know what to say.”
“Aurora, I want you to believe me when I tell you I love you and that I have for a long time. I may have had other lovers through the years, but my heart stayed with you in Alpharetta almost from our first conference call. I’ve kept a tab on your career at Guyton and checked up on you with Mrs. Hardee to make sure you were doing well. Whenever I visited my Dad in Atlanta and I always asked about how you were doing, even though those visits didn’t happen often. Didn’t he ever tell you?”
“As a matter of fact, he didn’t. Perhaps he thought you were just being polite, knowing how fond of me he is.”
“Axel tried to tell me just now about how you had a sugar daddy and that’s how you paid for your nice apartment and never seemed in need. He implied that sugar daddy was my father. I had to laugh at him just to stop myself from punching him in the face.”
“I received a living grant the first year I was at Guyton from the school administration.”
“I know,” he said, stroking her hair. “But what you don’t know is that I set up that grant when I saw the place you were living in. Please don’t be angry.”
Aurora looked up at him in awe.
“I’m not, Will. I’m shocked. I can’t believe that you were looking out for me all this time.”
“I wanted you to have what you deserved, Precious. I’m just glad that I finally think that I can be a part of that as well, because I know for sure that I don’t deserve you.”
They walked back into the ballroom hand in hand and glued to each other’s side. They danced and talked and mingled. Most of all, they fawned over each other, kissing easily and embracing each other constantly. Every time their eyes fell on Robin Guyton’s face, there was a look that could kill anyone in the room squarely centered on them.
At about eleven o’clock, Will was engrossed in conversation with his family about the evening’s success. Aurora had remained at the bar to give him the opportunity to bond with them since Robin was, as usual, trying to dominating the group. When Robin excused himself and left the room, Aurora decided to make her move. She walked slowly over and slid in beside Will, pressing her svelte body sensually against his and holding on to his arm with both her hands. Instinctively, he bent to give her his ear.
“If you want to ever stand a chance of peeling this dress from my body, you had better say your good nights now.”
“Dad, I’m heading off. There seems to be a matter of extreme urgency that requires my attention.”
Upstairs in Will’s sprawling apartment suites, Aurora pushed the sleeves of the dress over her shoulders, teasing him as he sat on the bed watching her. She turned around and let the fabric fall lifelessly to the floor. By the time she could turn to face him again, Will was seated at the end of the bed. He caught her hips in his hands and pulled her to him. He kissed the skin of her belly and then pulled her down to the bed with him.
“You are the most intoxicating thing I have ever encountered. I could drink you in and never get drunk enough to stop.”
Chapter Fourteen
Techwood, Atlanta, Georgia.
Will sat in a black sport utility vehicle at the end of the street, watching the collection of trash cans on the corner. It was where he had placed the bag containing the $150,000 payoff, exactly as the blackmailer had instructed Derrick to do. He had been waiting for over an hour now and still nothing.
It sure does take all sorts for the world to go around doesn’t it? he thought as he watched the people on the street in front of him.
There was a couple arguing at the corner across from the trash cans; several homeless men sat with their backs against the wall on the shady side of an abandoned office building which took up most of the block; and of course, at the mouth of every alley along the street, there were one or two prostitutes out on the daylight strut. He looked at his watch. It was already three thirty; if no one picked it up in the next half an hour, he was going to retrieve the bag and leave. Just then, a prostitute strolled down the street directly toward the trash cans. She paused for a second at the corner, lit a cigarette and looked around in all directions before she quickly dipped her hand in the bin and retrieved the bag. Once she had it, she made a quick walk toward a car parked halfway down the street and got in.
Will picked up the phone and pressed the SEND button. Almost instantly, Maxwell James answered the phone.
“One of the prostitutes took the bag and is pulling out in a gold Toyota. She’s heading in your direction.”
“I see her; I’ve got it under control. Head down the adjacent street in case she notices me and tries to give me the slip.”
“Okay.”
Maxwell followed the car at a distance until they were back on familiar surface streets near downtown Alpharetta. Suddenly the car turned off the main street and was headed for the freeway. He grabbed his cell phone and dialed Will.
“She’s headed onto the freeway. Get over here quickly; it’s gonna take both of us to tail her at that speed without being seen.”
Maxwell took the turn and saw Will’s SUV at the corner ahead of him. They both sped onto the freeway, trying to catch up with the gold car. They carefully followed her as she went three exits over and doubled back into Alpharetta. Soon, the car pulled over in front of what looked like a costume store. Nothing happened for about ten minutes and then the driver’s door opened. The woman who got out of the car was no longer dressed as a prostitute and she was carrying a large brown paper bag. Quickly, Maxwell pressed the gas and drove right past the car and as she turned to lock the door, he discretely took her picture with his phone. Around the corner, Will pulled up beside him and got out of the car.
“I got the photo; we know who our blackmailer is now,” Maxwell said jubilantly, as he shoved the phone toward Will.
Will took the phone and looked at the photograph. He couldn’t believe what he was seeing.
Trying to hide his emotions, he collected himself and said, “Email this to me immediately, would you, Maxwell?”
“Sure thing. So what now?”
“I want you to stay on her tail and see where else she goes, who else she talks to or meets. Take notes and take pictures. Meet me at the coffee shop around the corner from the office tomorrow at 10.”
“Okay, boss. See you in the morning.”
As soon as Will was back inside the car, he took out his phone to check for Maxwell’s email. He could not believe what he was seeing. He started the car and turned straight for home. If he got onto the freeway quickly enough, he just might beat the five thirty traffic. That stupid woman had kept them driving around in circles for almost two hours.
He parked the car in his street parking spot and ran up the front steps.
“Aurora,” he called as he stepped through it.
“I’m in the kitchen, babe. How did the drop go? Did you and Maxwell get anything we can use?”
“You will not believe this when I tell you.”
Aurora took one look at Will’s face and she knew that all hell was about to break loose.
“What is it Will?”
<
br /> “Its was Cheryl... Cheryl Smith, my secretary.”
“What?”
“Cheryl picked up the money. She was waiting on the street dressed up as a prostitute. It’s such a good thing that I thought to get Maxwell’s help or she would surely have seen me. I have no idea how long she was on the street before she made the move.”
“Oh, God! Suddenly, what Colton Reader said to me today all makes sense.”
“You spoke to Colton, the private investigator that Robin hired?”
“Yeah. He said that I didn’t want to be an Alice in Wonderland. That I wouldn’t like it when I found out how deep the rabbit hole went. He insinuated that there were several people very close to the both of us that were trying to take your father’s company down. He said that Robin felt that if he couldn’t have what he deserved, then no one would have any of it for very long either.”
“Aurora, I think we are in over our heads. It’s time we turned this over to the police.”
Chapter Fifteen
Stone Mountain, Georgia.
Robin made sure that the pre-dinner cocktails flowed freely for an hour before dinner would be served. To distract Aurora from her anxiety, Will engaged her in deep conversation with Rebecca and the they both did their best to act normally. The two women talked continuously until dinner was announced and walked into the dining room on each other’s arms, the Guyton men close behind them. Will took the opportunity to seat Aurora on his left since he knew he would be sitting beside his brother. Any eye contact they couldn’t have would be for the best. When Robin and John walked in, everyone had already been seated.
John stood at the head of the table and raised his glass in a toast.
“To good family, good food and good friends,” he said.
“Here, here,” they all responded, raising their glasses.
When the appetizers were served, the conversation at the table turned to the company’s Christmas formal and how Aurora was doing with the plans so far.
“Well, we had such a grand time at the Waldorf for the awards; I thought to myself that we definitely had to top that. So this year, we’ll host the event here at Stone Mountain, on the East lawn. We’re having the garden lit up with Christmas trees everywhere. Snow on the ground and a heated, covered enclosure for the party to be held in. What do you think about that idea, Robin?”
A stunned silence fell over the room and everyone looked at Robin, waiting for his response. Under the table, Will took her hand and squeezed it for support as Robin lifted his napkin to his mouth and swallowed.
“I think you have an exquisite vision. Winter wonderland on the lawns of Guyton; it will be beautiful.”
“Yes, that’s exactly what I was aiming for. That is a perfect description... winter wonderland.”
There was almost a collective sigh of relief at the table when their exchange was over. Everyone had been anticipating what would fall out of Robin Guyton’s mouth in Aurora’s direction. It was no secret anymore that he despised her and the relationship she had with Will. During the main course, several little conversations started around the table as each couple chatted about their day or other personal matters. Will and Aurora were a little quieter than the others, taking the time to listen to what was being said around them.
“I didn’t mean for the checks to go out late, Dad,” Robin said. “When I brought them in for your approval yesterday morning, you weren’t there.”
“Yes, I’m sorry about that,” John apologized. “But I’m not your CEO anymore Robin. You should have had Will look them over. That’s his job now and he’s quite capable.”
Aurora could not believe the blatant lie Robin had told his father. He was in Atlanta the morning before, hugging Cheryl Smith on the curb after collecting the blackmail money from her.
After dinner, they retired to the drawing room and Robin once again made the rounds with the wine and whiskey bottles. When everyone’s glasses were full again, Aurora patiently waited for the different conversations to strike up before she went over to confront Robin Guyton.
“Robin,” she said, “may I speak to you in private?”
“Umm, why of course, Aurora,” he replied. “Let’s step into the study.”
He closed the study door behind them and went to stand behind the desk, making sure to keep an appropriate distance between them. Aurora sat on the other side of the desk and placed her glass on it.
“Why did you tell John that you were looking for him yesterday morning?”
“Because I was...”
“We both know that you were in Atlanta; more precisely, at Cheryl Smith’s house. I saw you so let’s just move over all the B.S. Tell me why you’re blackmailing our people and whatever else you’re involved in.”
“I can’t do that, Aurora.”
“Oh, no. You have to.”
“Anything you want to know about it, you will have to ask Xaoping. I cannot answer any of your questions.”
“What does Xaoping have to do with any of this? Come on Robin, spill it. If you’re in deeper than you can swim, we can help.”
“No one can help me, Aurora. Especially not a grasping, upstart bitch like you!”
Aurora was shocked, but she also knew she wasn’t going to get another word out of him so she turned and went back into the drawing room. Aurora knew she wouldn’t be able to set her mind at ease until she knew what was going on with Robin. The police were going to arrest him that night, but if this was even deeper and it involved the yakuza-funded Xaoping Exports, Will had to be advised. She picked up the snifter of Bristol cream she was sipping and went in search of him. She found him leaning against the balusters of the terrace looking out over the lawns.
“Hi,” he said as she walked toward him, “Too stuffy in there for you?”
Aurora laughed and shook her head. Instinctively, she made her way into the valley of his shoulder and rested her head against him. His nose went to her hair and he breathed in the scent of peaches and vanilla. They stood like that for a while before she raised her head to look at the sky. Stars were shining down by the millions that night.
“Walk with me?” she asked, pulling on his hand.
“Okay.”
They went down the steps from the terrace and out into the yard. After a few moments of silence, Will spoke up.
“What’s wrong with you, Aurora? You’ve been disengaged ever since you came home last night.”
She stopped walking and turned to look at him.
“Yesterday morning when I was pulling up to my yoga studio in Atlanta, I saw your brother walking down to the street with Cheryl Smith. I was so shocked, I didn’t even know she lived in that neighborhood. I pulled over so they wouldn’t see me. They talked for a while on the curb, then they hugged and Robin left. When I confronted Robin for lying to your Dad about where he was, he said he wouldn’t tell me why he was there and that I should ask Xaoping.”
“Well, that’s too suspicious. What did he mean by ‘ask Xaoping’?”
“I think your brother is in more trouble than we know that he caused around here. I think he’s being used by Xaoping to take us down from the inside and that he’s being threatened by the yakuza to do what they say.”
“If that’s the case, the sooner he’s in police custody, the better. Let’s leave it to the lawyers and such for now, Aurora. I think we’ve fought this battle long enough.”
Will picked her up off her feet and carried her to a garden bench. He put her down on it and sat beside her.
“Are you cold?” he asked.
“No, it’s not bad tonight. Winter’s coming, but it’s surely not in much of a hurry this year.”
Will laughed at her comment.
“Do you remember the way you used to wait for the first snow every year when you were a kid?”
“Yeah, I don’t remember a winter when it didn’t snow. There are holidays now when snow that sticks to the ground is a rarity in these parts rather than a guarantee.”
“Global
warming,” Will quipped.
Aurora laughed and put her head on his shoulder and tried her best to clear her mind. They didn’t even hear when the sirens made their way up the driveway to take Robin away.
***
Stone Mountain, Georgia.
A week later.
In the warmth of the living room in Guyton Cottage, Aurora and Will sat down to watch the evening news. As soon as it started, the anchor announced that they had breaking news in the Hong Kong espionage case and that they would be going live to the Alpharetta Police Department for the press conference.
“As a result of weeks of reconnaissance and fact checking, we have reason to believe that Cheryl Smith, an executive assistant at Guyton Investments, is a viable suspect in the blackmailing of several key executives at the firm, and that these illegal activities are what indeed led to the previous implication of Zach Guyton in the Hong Kong corporate espionage scandal. At present, we have Miss Smith in custody and the interrogation process has only just begun. But we are confident that we will be getting a break in the case very soon, which will lead us to the spy and ultimately, justice for those directly impacted as well as the people of Alpharetta and Hong Kong. Updates will be furnished as the case progresses, but due to the sensitivity of the investigation, I will not be answering any questions from members of the press tonight. Thank you.”
Will switched off the television and turned to Aurora on the couch. He took both her hands in his and sighed.
“I have to say, I’m starting to feel relieved that I won’t have people looking at me like the rich boy who sent his brothers to jail.”
“Yeah, I’m glad they agreed to keep Robin’s name out of it, if only for his own safety. We’re almost at the end of it, Will. Soon all this will be over and life can go back to normal.”
He pulled her into his arms and held her tightly, kissing the top of her head and then resting his cheek there.