Perfume Girl

by Vanessa Fewings

  He looked worn down like he’d just finished a long shift at the restaurant. There was no way he’d be commuting to South Beach each day, and the thought that he could be staying somewhere close by until he started his new job sent a shiver of uneasiness up my spine.

  “Hey.” He gave a nod of greeting.

  “What do you want?” No, you don’t threaten a person and then expect them to be cordial next time you see them.

  “Did you sign the realtor forms?”

  So much for an apology…

  “Over there.” I pointed to the glass-fronted case, now empty because of him.

  He walked over to the countertop and picked up the envelope, sliding out the contract. “Thanks for signing these. I’ll get them to the realtor.”

  I gave a shrug.

  “Okay then, looks like we’re all good, right?” he said.

  “That depends on how you define good.”

  He showed a hint of remorse. “Are you going out?”

  “Yes.”

  “You look pretty.”

  “Damien, you’ve already proven what kind of man you are. There’s no coming back from that.”

  He broke my gaze and looked around. “It was fun while it lasted.”

  I gave him a wry smile. “Hope she’s worth it.”

  “She’s every man’s dream. And I get to have her.”

  “Let’s hope she doesn’t turn into every man’s worst nightmare.”

  “You might want to wear something a little less revealing so you’re not mistaken for a whore.”

  “Damien, Embry may be able to detect a hurricane but I’ve discovered that I have one inside me. That’s the best thing to come out of this.”

  “What are you going to do?”

  “I have somewhere to be.”

  He shrugged. “It’s over.”

  “Is that a statement or a question?”

  “Are you going to let it go?”

  “There are many things I am letting go of, yes. And there are some things that are worth fighting for. So for me this is a new beginning. ”

  And it felt so damn good to say it.

  He walked toward the door. “Take care, Raquel.”

  I watched him leave and locked the door behind him, exhaling with relief that he was gone.

  I walked over to the countertop and picked up the empty envelope that had held the documents to this place, wondering who would purchase my store. The sale would mean I’d have enough money to keep me afloat for a few months but it still made my heart ache.

  Looking around at this bare space without its bottles and décor, its prints stripped from the walls, made me realize that I was Perfume Girl, and I could take my talent with me and begin again.

  I headed into the lab and with a few clicks opened my safe. I reached in and removed my precious scent in its delicate bottle…a pretty spare glass container. Not as pretty as those Lalique bottles I had once owned. The fact that Astor had walked off with the second one was almost laughable.

  My life was a grim tragedy where nothing went right.

  I held the bottle up to the light and admired the liquid’s luminosity, and then tucked it safely into the bottom of my handbag.

  I turned the lights out, grabbed my coat and handbag and headed out the front of the store, knowing I was locking up for one of the last times.

  I climbed into my Alfa Romeo and set off for the long drive to South Beach.

  The six hour journey gave me time to think, to strategize, to dig deep and try to find forgiveness. I would need all my emotional strength for the next several hours.

  You can do this.

  When I finally pulled up to The Setai Hotel in South Beach, I felt relief that what lay ahead would soon be over. I left my coat in the car and handed over my keys to the valet. After a quick visit to the bathroom, I was ready to head to the grand party being hosted on the back patio of the hotel.

  The House of Beauregard’s HR department hadn’t taken me off their email list yet so I’d been notified of this party that Astor was hosting. Apparently, he liked to reveal a new perfume in the grandest style and this one was being held in a lavish setting where guests could enjoy the ocean view. Tables had been set for dinner, and in the center on its own table was the showpiece itself—a square bottle resting on a silver platter.

  I turned away from it with a jolt of fear. Were they revealing my fragrance tonight? Was the new scent to be hailed as a product of The House of Beauregard my creation? A wave of nausea hit me.

  My gaze roamed over the luxurious table settings and the elegantly clad guests. Many of the faces I recognized from work. There were about one hundred people sipping wine and munching on hors d’oeuvres.

  And then I saw her…

  Penelope was dressed in a white, expensive suit, looking stunning as she laughed with her friends.

  When her gaze caught mine it felt like daggers striking my chest. I spun around and quickly made my way to the other side of the crowd, all the while scanning the faces in hopes of finding Astor.

  Penelope’s glare burned my back until I reached the other side of the patio. I gripped the short glass wall finding the courage to glance back her way. She was talking with someone from the hotel staff—possibly reporting me as a gatecrasher.

  My cover was blown and I’d only just gotten here.

  With my head bowed so I didn’t make eye contact with anyone else, I made a beeline for the stairs that led to the beach. I would wait it out until I saw Astor from this vantage point and then return to the party. They couldn’t kick me off the beach as this was public property and from here I could see the guests and hope to catch a glimpse of him.

  I had to put this right and the bottle in my handbag was my way of proving the truth. I couldn’t wait to have my say. I peeled off my heels and felt the warmth of sand beneath my feet as I headed out for a walk to shake off the uneasiness I felt.

  Frothy waves kissed the shoreline and as I let the calming warmth roll over my feet I exhaled a breath of courage.

  A flash of movement drew my attention and I turned to see a dog sprinting toward me.

  Caine closed the gap between us, leaping up and resting his sandy paws on the front of my dress, his big ears flopping and his goofy sweetness shining through and making me smile. I gave his neck a scratch of affection.

  Raising my gaze, I saw Astor walking toward us from farther down the shore.

  “He’s going to get me in trouble,” he said. “He’s not allowed on the beach.”

  “I won’t tell anyone.” I dusted the dry sand off my dress.

  He looked concerned. “Is your dress okay?”

  “Of course.” He looked weary and it made my heart ache, thinking that it had been me who had done this to him.

  Astor grabbed Caine’s leash. “Sit. Good boy.” His gaze met mine. “I’m glad you’re here.”

  I motioned to the party. “Got an invite from HR. You need to take me off their list of employees.”

  He smiled ruefully. “How are you, Raquel?”

  “Fine. You?” I wanted to run into his arms, press my face against his chest and breathe in his scent.

  “I’ve been doing a lot of thinking.”

  “Oh?”

  He gave a shrug. “I need to send you a check for the time you were with us.”

  “That’s very honorable.”

  “I’m an honorable man.”

  My gaze snapped to the guests overlooking the glass banister. “Which scent are you showcasing?”

  He went to answer and then hesitated.

  “Is it mine?”

  “Yes.”

  I swallowed grief in all its cruel forms. It was done, it was over, and any returning to an us was impossible.

  “Raquel, we need to do what’s best for everyone.” He let out a deep sigh as he held my gaze.

  “I want you to know, Astor. My feelings for you are genuine. I never meant to hurt you. I saw a chance to get my formula back and took it. Not once d
id I set out to cause you any pain. You and I—”

  “You should have told me, Raquel. Just come out and told me what was going on.”

  “I wasn’t sure if you were in on it.” I turned my gaze to the water. “As I got to know you I knew you could never do something like this.”

  “This is what I propose—”

  “This is not about money or opportunity. That perfume means more than all of that. To me it’s something special. To me it’s the essence of—”

  “Love.”

  A wave crashed over my feet but I hardly noticed it.

  Him knowing what this scent meant to me made the agony soul-deep. I had poured years of work into trying to recreate that feeling of a happy childhood…before innocence was lost. Until now, nothing I had created had come close.

  My affection for Astor had been the final part of the process in helping me intuitively find the rest of the way to a formula that was right. A love that couldn’t be.

  Tell him, tell him all of it. Let nothing be left unsaid.

  “So, you finished the formula?” I asked.

  He glanced back at the party. “Which one?”

  “I’m talking about mine. I added the final touch, Astor. Whatever you did with it would never make it as profound as what I’ve come up with.”

  He looked surprised, as though I was still betraying him.

  Tears stung my eyes. “I wasn’t ready to create it until now. This perfume reminds me of the purity and innocence of my childhood. It was my time with you that helped me finish it.”

  Astor stepped closer. “Let me hold you.”

  I needed to resist this man’s charms, but as he wrapped his arms around me and I rested my cheek against his chest, it felt right and I had to surrender to the comfort of his embrace. We fit together so well, and it distressed me to think of all I’d lost and of all that really mattered…him.

  “What is she doing here?” Penelope snapped from behind us.

  We stepped away from each other.

  “Penelope,” said Astor, “let’s take this somewhere quieter away from the—”

  “What does she want?” She teetered a little.

  “I invited her.” Astor gave me a kind smile. “HR sent her the invite at my request.”

  “What the fuck?” Penelope glared at him. “Why?”

  Astor moved closer and reached for her arm to help steady her.

  “No.” She shoved away his hand and faced me. “This is a private event.”

  “Penelope, it’s fine,” he said.

  She looked horrified. “What do you mean?”

  He reached for her arm again. “You’ve had too much to drink—”

  “Why are you doing this to me?” she asked, her voice faltering.

  “Because this is the cologne she left behind for us,” Astor said gently, “and she deserves to see it well received.”

  I stared at him, realizing this event was showcasing the cologne I had created for him and not my stolen work. All the tension left my shoulders with this revelation.

  “Why did you accept the invite?” snapped Penelope. “What do you hope to achieve?”

  I reached into my handbag and held up the glass bottle. “I never saw your formula. Here is the proof I created the new scent that you say I stole from you. I could never have reverse-engineered it. You know that, Astor.”

  Penelope glared at me. “I created it—”

  “We both know that’s not true.” Astor turned to face her. “There were two bottles. I found the other one in my desk drawer.”

  Penelope’s smile dissolved when she realized he was talking to her. “She’s manipulating you.”

  “Don’t do this, Penny,” he pleaded with her.

  “Don’t call me that,” she said bitterly. “Are you willing to throw it all away for her?”

  “Go inside and I’ll join you soon, Penelope,” he said firmly.

  “No, you don’t send me away. This company is as much mine as it is yours.” She hurried toward me. “Are you after more money?”

  I flinched at her closeness. “I didn’t accept your offer, remember?”

  Astor looked horrified. “Did you pay her to go away?”

  “No amount of money is worth losing my integrity,” I said.

  “That’s no proof.” She stared at the bottle. “You stole that from us.”

  “She never saw the formula,” Astor verified.

  I offered the bottle to him, but he shook his head and smiled at me. I lowered my arm to my side, feeling unsure.

  He faced Penelope. “If you created this why didn’t you recognize the scent on Tiffany? A professional would recall the scent they masterminded.”

  “Who the fuck’s Tiffany?” she snapped. “The stripper who gave you a lap dance?”

  He looked over at me. “There was no lap dance. We merely talked.”

  “You enjoyed it so much.” Penelope cackled. “You got her to dance for me.”

  Astor looked calm. “I dabbed her with the perfume. Went back to see Tiffany the next day and she told me you didn’t notice it. You didn’t ask what she was wearing.”

  “Because there were so many other scents around us—”

  “You didn’t notice it,” he said, staring at her, “because you didn’t create it.”

  My world spun.

  I had been exonerated…this was really happening and Astor was really defending me. They continued to argue, but I hardly heard them—I was too overwhelmed by the truth finally being brought to light.

  “So you went back to see that stripper you liked?” Penelope sneered at him. “That’s interesting.”

  “Yes, I did,” he replied calmly. “I suspected you had bought the formula off Damien Silver who had stolen it from Raquel. I needed to see proof before I took action.”

  She looked shocked. “Damien told you that?”

  “Penelope, I know he bought a multi-million dollar house on the waterfront.” Astor tilted his head. “On a chef’s salary.”

  She glared at him, aghast. “You don’t believe me, your own sister?”

  He smiled. “Tell me the components. Right now, the base notes.”

  “We have guests, Astor. People are waiting.”

  “I’m waiting,” he said firmly.

  Her lips trembled.

  Astor gave her a sympathetic look. “If I made you feel in any way that you had to come up with a new perfume to impress me, I’m sorry.”

  She held his gaze, mulling over her answer. “You’re jealous I invented something that doesn’t have your name on it.”

  “Don’t,” he said with tenderness.

  “I own half the company.”

  “So what is the issue here?” he asked.

  Her breathing became panicked. She looked lost. “I need to repay this debt.”

  He looked surprised “What debt? There is none.”

  “Every day I carry around guilt for what happened to us. Every day I see what it did to you.”

  “It’s behind us, Penelope.”

  She wagged a finger at him. “No, it’s not. I carry the burden of what happened with me every day. You know this and you use it against me.”

  “I never have.”

  “You’re using her against me.”

  “How?” He raised his hands in frustration.

  She glared at him. “She’s an interloper. She needs to go. She’ll push me out.”

  “I would never,” I said.

  Penelope stomped closer. “Everything was fine before you came along.”

  I flinched when she got too close. “I know what happened that night,” I said softly. “What really happened at Bridgestone when you were children.”

  Penelope looked at her brother with a panicked expression. “You told her?”

  “I told her nothing,” said Astor.

  “You carry the guilt for something that wasn’t your fault,” I told them both, and then turned to her. “You saved your mom’s life, Penelope.”

 
Astor was shaking his head telling me not to go there. He was protecting her even now. Even after all she had done to him.

  “You were very young and very scared,” I kept my voice low. “Neither of you deserve to carry the guilt even one more day.”

  She pressed a hand to her chest. “Who told you? Did you force the truth out of my mother? I know you went there. I know you broke into our home at Bridgestone and talked with her.”

  “She didn’t break in,” said Astor.

  “My father was going to kill her,” snapped Penelope.

  “I know,” I whispered.

  Her tone softened. “You weren’t there. You wouldn’t understand.”

  “Oh, I do.” I glanced at Astor. “More than you realize.”

  She looked broken. “I did what had to be done—”

  “Stop!” Astor looked stunned at her confession.

  I turned to him. “You told them it was you?”

  The waves drowned out my voice.

  Astor’s gaze was locked on Penelope—the sadness and shock he was feeling reflected in his hazel eyes.

  My heart broke all over again for him, thinking of the consequences he’d endured for letting everyone think he had pulled the trigger.

  “It was a long time ago.” I heard the agony in his voice. “It’s all forgotten.”

  “And forgiven,” I said, turning to Penelope.

  Our gazes rose to the few guests standing on the glass-front balcony above who had apparently overheard Penelope’s confession that it had been her who had picked up that gun and pointed it at her father—and fired the fatal shot.

  Astor cringed as he looked up at the people staring down at us in silence. Then he moved close to Penelope and wrapped his arm around her. “Let’s get you home.”

  “I got that formula for you,” she said. “I wanted you to forgive me. All that they put you through because of me. I wanted to do something good.”

  “It’s over now,” he soothed. “Raquel, will you take Caine for me, please?”

  I took the leash from him and watched Astor escort his sister away.

  Waiting on the beach with Caine, I stared out at the water.

  Though a weight had lifted from me, I couldn’t rejoice because Astor was in torment. He would have wanted to believe his sister was innocent of stealing my formula. Choosing me in that moment had to have caused him pain. Yet he had done it anyway.