Settling into a plush deck chair, she sipped her drink and felt the tension melt away. The scotch spread a welcome warmth through her chest. Lauren hadn’t realized how anxious she’d gotten. She was thankful for the release but feeling lonely. She flicked through her phone.
“Hey you, are you coming over?”
“Hey Llama, I don’t think so, not tonight. I don’t want to bring any more of this shit to your doorstep.”
“You aren’t staying at the office, are you?” Ali said with concern.
“No, I’m staying with...a friend. I’d rather not tell you, if that’s alright. I’d feel better if no one knew where I was right now.”
“But you’re safe? You weren’t followed?”
Lauren chuckled, remembering the hour long trip it took to travel ten blocks. “I really doubt anyone could’ve. I’m perfectly safe, I just didn’t want you to worry.”
Ali sighed. “Have you called lover boy yet? I’m curious what he says about the whole thing.”
“No, not yet.” She jingled the ice in the nearly empty glass. “I’m working up the courage. I knew getting involved was going to be complicated but I wasn’t expecting anything like this.”
“I think you should, the sooner the better. I’m sure there’s a good explanation.”
Lauren closed her eyes and rubbed the side of her head. “Alright, I’ll do it now. Thanks for taking care of me, lady. I love you.”
“I love you, too.”
She considered topping up her drink before calling him but laziness won the battle. The phone rang twice before he picked up.
“Hey babe, there you are,” he said breathlessly.
Lauren tempered her tone. “Hi, catch you at a bad time?”
“No, just had to run for it, didn’t want to miss you. Did you have a good night at Ali’s? I tell you what, I felt a lot better knowing you were with her last night. Not that I don’t trust Brian and those guys but push comes to shove, I’d pick Ali in a fight.”
“How about you? You have a good night?”
She heard his computer chair squeak as he sat down and imagined him sitting at his desk. The thought of joining him in his house seemed so distant. “It was alright. You know how it is, the typical boring networking type thing. Much rather been with you. Have the police gotten back to you about anything? I was thinking maybe they’d run prints on the knife or something. Does Nick have a —”
“Just a boring networking thing then? Nothing else you’d like to tell me about your night?” There was a real edge to her voice now.
“Wren, what’s going on? What’s up with you?”
“I had another package from my secret admirer this morning. You want to know what was slipped under Ali’s door this morning? Photos of you from last night looking far from bored.”
“Wait, what? Nick followed you to Ali’s place? You need to go to the police with this, he’s really fucking pushing it now. We’ve gotta get you a hotel room or something, get you someplace safe.”
“Yeah, you don’t need to worry about that right now. I’m safe. What you do need to worry about is lying to me. What the fuck, Landon? You couldn’t just tell me you were taking someone? You had to hide it?”
Landon groaned and started to speak but stopped. Lauren couldn’t stand the silence. Her gaze flitted from window to window on the neighboring sky scrapers, wondering what the occupants were doing.
“She’s the one you were seeing when we met, isn’t she?” It wasn’t a question.
“Ah shit, Wren...I’m sorry. With everything that’s been going on, I didn’t want to tell you and get you all worried for nothing. It was seriously nothing. I had to bring a date and I normally bring my mother but she was busy so—”
“Honestly. Come on,” she stopped abruptly as she heard the front door open. Damon Kael stepped into the apartment, glancing at her bag still sitting by the door. “You know what? I just realized I don’t want to talk about this anymore. I think I’m going to go take a nice bath, relax, and go to sleep.”
“Wren, I really think we should talk about this.” Lauren stood in the doorway and caught Damon’s attention with a little wave.
“Yeah? I don’t. Like you said, I’m under a lot of stress and right now. This is a stress I’m choosing to avoid. Sorry for calling. Hope you have a great night.”
“Come on, I swear it wasn’t anything to be upset about.”
“But I am upset and I am hanging up. Goodnight.”
Slipping the phone into her pocket, she stepped inside the living room and smiled. “Hi.”
He gave her a half grin and nodded. “Ballsy Kemp. Glad I wasn’t on the other end of that phone.” Like on cue, her pocket started to vibrate but she let it go to voicemail.
Damon looked good, too good. He wore a thin, black sweater over a blue button up shirt. His eyes seemed to undress her, in every sense of the word. A flush rose in her cheeks as she remembered how his hands felt, a flush she chose to blame on the cold breeze and strong drink. She closed the door behind her and stepped into the room, their eyes locked. Lauren came to the end of the plush, leather sofa and stopped.
“He deserved it,” she replied flatly. Her emotionless voice sounded unfamiliar. Maybe this was just one too many times.
“I’m sure he did.” Damon chuckled and stepped closer. “So, do you like what I’ve done with the place?”
Lauren frowned, scanning the apartment. It looked identical to the last time she’d seen it, however she hadn’t been spending much time studying the decor. She took another step towards him. “It looks the same to me.”
“Really? I added a houseplant...there.” He pointed at the far corner just to Lauren’s left. As she turned to follow his finger, he closed the distance between them. His hands at his sides, Damon was close enough she could feel the heat of his body. “It’s a nice addition, don’t you think?”
She slowly turned her head from the potted palm back to his eyes, peering up, almost daring him to kiss her. His smoldering eyes told her he was very close to doing just that. For whatever reason, I’m able to make Damon Kael lose his cool. The idea was almost more intoxicating than the scotch.
“I love it. Really pulls the whole room together.” She glanced down, a practiced coy look. “Say, would you mind touching up my drink for me?”
Biting the corner of her lip, she tried to ignore his scent. It summoned memories that were all too easy to recreate. Her resolve was slipping and just as she thought she couldn’t take the tension a moment longer, he released a ragged breath and took the tumbler from her hand. His fingers grazed hers, an electric shock surging through her hand. Damon must’ve felt it too because his other hand rose to cup the side of her face. She nearly let herself fall into him but managed to whisper, “I can’t.”
With the slightest glimmer of disappointment in his eyes, he replied, “Of course.” The moment shattered around them and once his back was turned, Lauren slumped onto the sofa.
“Thank you again for letting me stay,” she said, suddenly feeling drained. You have no idea what you’re doing anymore, do you Lauren? she thought bitterly.
“Well, we do have the small matter of payment.” The bottle of scotch burbled as he refilled her glass and poured another for himself. The crystal rattled against the glass bar top as he replaced it and returned with the drinks.
“Ah, of course. Where do I begin?” she said taking the glass from his hand. He sat on the far section of the sofa, putting enough distance between them there’d be no accidental contact. Lauren took a sip and continued. “I could tell you how I extorted my way into the CTO position of StyleSpur or I could pull a Tarantino and start with the pigs heart and work backward from there.” She enjoyed the surprise on his face. “Dealer’s choice.”
He shifted his arm over the back of the sofa and clicked his tongue against his teeth. “In that case, I think I’d like to hear about the extortion.”
“Good. After that, maybe you can point me to the part in that book th
at tells me how to deal with a psycho butcher ex,” she said with a wink.
October 20th
Crazy is the new normal for me. In fact, not having a “normal” is the new normal for me. I’m sitting here in someone else’s apartment drinking out of someone else’s glass feeling like I’m living someone else’s life.
I’ve been staying with Damon for nearly two weeks, although he’s been in Boston for the last couple days. Rattling around this big apartment, I’ve pretty much forgotten what it was like living in my old place with Nick and Jess. His kitchen is nearly the size of our bedroom, bathroom, and living room put together yet he never uses it! So I suppose, for now, this is my new normal. I felt a little awkward staying here but after finding out I was dating Landon, Damon has been a perfect gentleman. I get the feeling that while they might not know each other directly, they have mutual acquaintances. Regardless, I get these little flashes every now and then from that one night...it’s hard to push that kind of stuff out of your mind.
It’s actually been really good. I think the label of mentor and apprentice threw me, but he really does have a lot of great advice. I’m beginning to understand why he gave me that book. It’s really a history book, a look at things powerful people throughout history have done and what it says about human psychology. With so much time to myself here, I’ve been able to read a good chunk of it. I get it now.
Landon and I made up a couple days after I got those event photos. It wasn’t easy. It’s been difficult to reconcile so many instances of him lying by omission. Honestly, each time leaves me feeling pretty shaky about our romantic and professional future together. I talked through everything with Ali, picked apart every single time, and we both decided that each instance in itself is innocuous. It’s only when all of them are put together that he starts to look really shady. Plus, I think with all the stress from Nick caused me to really overreact. The poor guy was so upset that he’d hurt me (and pissed off about how I discovered it) that he wanted to fly out and talk to me face to face. Again, it took some convincing to keep him in California. He’s coming out the end of this week...which is another reason why I’m awake at 1 a.m.
We’re going to head back to Lake George with the rest of the stuff I’m not taking out to San Francisco. My parents are looking forward to meeting him but I can tell from our conversations, mainly emails with Mom, that they’re nervous. It’s the first time I’ve moved far enough away they couldn’t easily reach me by car. Everything with MyBFC is moving forward, somehow too quickly and too slowly all at once. The office here was completely shut down and the guys have been moved onto other projects until we can relocate out west. I’m supposed to be looking at resumes and picking out potential employees to interview once I get out there but...I can’t focus.
I’m just eager to get my life started. I know that’s a terrible way to look at things...I AM living my life, but it feels delayed...
6.
Lauren smiled as the phone buzzed on the bedside table. Releasing a long yawn, she rolled over and snatched it up.
“I’m getting used to hearing your voice first thing every morning,” she said, her voice still thick with sleep. She grinned when she heard Landon chuckle on the other side.
“That’s the idea. It’s basic conditioning, really. Did you sleep well?”
“Mmmhmmm,” she replied as she stretched. “Even though it’s early here, it still makes me feel incredibly lazy to get a wakeup call from someone three time zones away.”
“Eh, gotta be awake with the markets.” Landon cleared his throat and sighed.
“What’s up? I know that sound. You have something to tell me.” Lauren tucked the sheets under her armpits and reclined against the pillows. I never realized beds could be this comfortable, she thought. How do rich people get anything done?
“You know me too well, Kemp, but there is something. I think we need to accelerate the launch. I don’t want to prolong this process any longer than it has to be and I’d feel much better with you out of that city...for now.”
Lauren scowled at the seriousness of this comment. “What’s happened?”
“It’s nothing, really. I don’t want to worry you. I just wanted you to know that I’m throwing my full attention to getting MyBFC up and running as quickly as I can.”
“Landon, you know I hate it when you keep stuff from me. I’m a big girl, just tell me.” He paused, the silence only broken by what sounded like the tapping of a pen on a desk. Lauren’s mind, still groggy from sleep, fought for focus. “Whatever it is, it can’t be any worse than what I’m imagining right now. Just tell me.”
He sharply exhaled. “Fair enough. It seems that our dear friend Nick has branched out. I’m starting to get nasty emails, phone calls from restricted numbers, and then last night I got a package delivered.”
Lauren was too weary to feel shock any more. Rubbing her eyes with one hand, she shook her head. “Lemme guess...a pig’s heart?”
“Close. It was a box of chicken heads.”
That actually was enough to shock her. “Are you fucking serious? When did Nick turn into Butcher Bob? Was there another note inside?”
“No, nothing. It was on my front step by the time I came home late last night. Henry was pretty into it though. Almost knocked the box out of my lap when I opened it,” he snickered. “I called the police and told them everything that happened to you out in New York. They said they can’t really do anything.”
“Jesus, I’m so sorry I dragged you into all this. It’s one thing for him to send me threatening shit but you,” Lauren felt so embarrassed. She never thought she’d be the kind of girl that had to deal with crazy ex’s or stalkers, let alone protect her new boyfriend from them. “Do I want to know about the emails?”
“Eh, nothing to write home about. Typical, generic threats. That’s not what bothers me. I hate that you’re even within a couple hundred miles of this creep. Wait, what else has he sent you? You haven’t gotten any other packages or anything, right?”
Lauren wanted to slap her forehead. Great job, Kemp. You have a mind like a sieve. “I didn’t want to tell you, either. I’ve gotten a few threatening emails and loads of hangups on my phone. I even tried to trace the email address but didn’t have any real luck. Best I got was that he came from the city, so that narrows it down to a few million.”
“I think I could narrow it down...” his voice trailed off as if an idea had just popped into his head. “Why don’t you come out now? I’m sure we can take care of everything remotely...”
“No, I can’t do that. It’s already rushed as it is...no.”
“Just hear me out, I know this is going to be difficult but—”
“Seriously. This isn’t up for discussion. I appreciate that you’re concerned about me, but moving out there isn’t going to make this go away. If he’s already sending threats to you, then why would it be any different for me?”
“Because out here he can’t actually touch you, get to you,” Landon replied, his voice twinged with concern.
“I can handle myself. Despite everything, I still don’t think that Nick would actually hurt me. He’s just trying to freak me out or fuck with us...I don’t know. We just have to let him get it out of his system. If we show any signs it’s actually getting to us, he’ll have gotten what he wanted.” Lauren tried to control the anger building inside. It was one thing for him to screw with her but now that he was bringing Landon into the mix, it did feel more dangerous. It became less about their breakup and more about him not letting her move on. “How did he find where you lived and everything anyway?”
“Google is the stalker’s best friend. There’s nothing on there that he couldn’t have just found online. Anyway, you’re not supposed to worry about me. That’s not how this works. I’m supposed to take care of you.”
Lauren smiled at his possessiveness. “And here I was thinking I was capable of taking care of myself, how silly of me. I’m so glad I have a big, strong man to do all this for m
e,” she giggled.
“There ya go, you’re getting it.” Landon’s chair squeaked as he leaned back. “I’m sorry I woke you up like this. Totally not the way I’d prefer to.”
Her skin tingled at his tone and all thoughts about business and stalkers just disappeared from her mind. “Oh yeah? How exactly would you have wanted to wake me up? And please, be as explicit as possible.” She smiled as he barked a loud laugh.
“I suppose that depends...do you sleep naked?”
“Yes...” Oh man, the things this guy can do to me with just his words, she thought.
“I don’t believe you.”
“Oh really? Well, I can’t have you doubting me. Give me a sec...” she said throwing the comforter and sheets off. She snapped a quick photo of the length of her lean body, breasts pushed together in the foreground, naked and drenched in morning light. She lifted the phone back to her ear and said, “Proof is on the way. Isn’t technology amazing?” She shivered slightly with excitement. She’d never done anything like this before.
“I don’t know, I still haven’t gotten anything—oh wait, here we go.” He sounded a little distant, obviously holding the phone away so he could look at the photo. “Holy shit, Wren.” He brought the phone close to his face and breathed heavily into the receiver, “I wasn’t expecting that. Ugh, it’s totally unfair I can see but can’t touch.”
“Tell me about it. Soon though.”
“I seriously shouldn’t be getting this worked up at nearly five in the morning.”
Lauren shot up in bed, looking around for a clock, forgetting she had one right in her hand. “Five? Shit, if it’s five for you it’s...yeah, crap. I’m running late. Can I get a rain check on that incredible explicit description I was going to get?” She jumped out of bed and quickly picked out clothes for the day.
“Absolutely. Have a good morning, babe. I miss you.”
Playing with Power - Book 5: New Adult Office Romance Page 4