“Come, come, why don’t we let the kids get to know each other better?” Reese’s mother said, her eyes twinkling as she proceeded to lead the others away.
“Have you seen Phillip’s library?” Gabe asked her in a soft, low voice, perfect for whispering fatal threats and sweet nothings. “It’s the next room over. I highly doubt anyone is in there right now.”
Reese rolled her eyes at the obvious attempt to get her alone, but anything was better than being here, and she loved exploring libraries. She followed him out of the ballroom and down a long hallway. They made a left and then walked into the first room on the right. Her mouth dropped open at the sight of stacks upon stacks of a variety of books, many of them first edition hardcovers of classics, out-of-print and unpublished novels, stories, poetry, and the like. There was a leather couch in the middle of the room, bracketed by small stands on either side with small reading lamps on each one. The only other piece of furniture in the vast room was a large oak desk, with papers strewn across it, located at the far end of the room. It was close to an entrance that appeared to be attached to a study, the door half-open. From Reese’s vantage point, there didn’t seem to be anybody in it.
“Reese?” His voice interrupted her inner musings, and she remembered with disappointment that she wasn’t alone. “That’s an interesting name.”
“Yeah, it means enthusiasm,” she murmured. Her insides churned, and she knew it had to do with this guy. She couldn’t tell if they were butterflies or a warning.
“I love your dress,” he continued. “Bold. Different. No one here would dream of wearing it.”
Reese was caught between feeling flattered by his compliment and insulted by the way he used the dress as an excuse to stare at her chest. All Reese could think to do was cross her arms and give him a look that indicated she knew what he was doing and she was having none of it. “Yeah, I got that from the looks people were giving me,” she said.
“They’re just jealous.” He said it in a firm tone, like it was a fact rather than an opinion. “They couldn’t pull it off the way you do.”
“Look,” Reese said, deciding to go with her stomach giving her a warning rather than butterflies, “I’m not quite sure what your game is or what you want from me, but I’m getting sick of the incessant flattery.”
“Beautiful and humble, a deadly combination.” She could hear the smirk in his words.
“Does that ever work?” she asked.
“Usually, yes.” His eyes sparkled. “It’s interesting that it’s not working on you. Hmm.” A pause. “I’m going to make you see it my way, of course.”
Before Reese could respond, she heard soft footsteps on the tile. She turned back to the study and saw Jack Phillip pacing. He didn’t seem to notice them, not yet anyway, and judging by his hushed voice, he was talking to someone. Without warning, Gabe pulled Reese toward a particular bookshelf so they were hidden from view but could still see what was going on. He pressed his chest against her back, and even though she was standing up to her full height, he was crouching over her, his chin barely grazing her shoulder. She was surprised how warm he was.
Her attention immediately snapped back to the study when she saw a familiar figure. Short—especially when compared to Jack and Gabe—slight, but with an air that commanded attention. Feathered brown hair, a long nose that curved to the left as though it had been broken before, dimples, and bottomless black eyes.
“What is he doing?” she whispered.
“You know Nathan?” Gabe’s breath invaded the column of her throat.
“I thought his name was Henry.”
“It is. Henry Nathan.” A beat. “How do you know him?”
Reese let this information sink in, her eyes never wavering from Henry. There was something about him …
“He walked me to my first class,” she finally replied. “How does a senior in high school know Jack Phillip?”
“Nathan knows everything about everyone. He’s also nearly as rich as Phillip, if not more so. The difference is Phillip flashes it with these parties and a revolving door of women while Nathan … well, he knows everything about everyone but no one knows anything about him. Hell, I don’t even know if he has a family.”
“You mean he’s all alone?” she asked, hoping her voice sounded surprised and not at all sympathetic.
“He has to have some sort of guardian on his registration forms,” Gabe murmured, “but he never talks about them and I’ve never seen anyone.”
Then, just as though he knew they were watching him, Henry turned to face Reese, locked eyes with her, and smiled. A smile that resembled one a snake might display, causing his dimples to pop. Her breath caught in her throat. Only when he looked away to resume his conversation with the billionaire was she able to finally breathe.
“We should go,” Gabe whispered. He sounded as shaken up as she felt.
Reese nodded, unable to form words. She let Gabe pull her to the door, but she couldn’t resist one last glance over her shoulder. He was looking at her again, his black eyes twinkling like stars in the night sky.
7
Andie
The minute Andie got to school the following Monday, she hightailed it to Biology, hoping Reese would be there. She had a lot of making up to do, and she hoped a homemade batch of M&M cookies would do. It was the only thing she could bake with relative success.
Reese was sitting at her desk, reading a worn copy of Catcher in the Rye. Her blonde hair was pushed away from her face with a simple black headband with a small black bow on it. Her skirt and cardigan combination had been swapped out for a simple sky blue dress with a square-shape neckline that reached the middle of her thighs. She had knee-length white tights and black ankle boots on her feet with matching bows on either side. If anything, she looked like Alice in Wonderland.
“Hey,” Andie said, her voice a bit wary as she took a seat next to the blonde.
A bright smile lit Reese’s face when she saw Andie. Her eyes looked more blue than grey with that dress.
“Look, I’m really sorry about what I said at the party.” Reese tried to wave her off, but Andie continued, dropping the plastic bag of cookies onto Reese’s desk—hopefully they hadn’t cracked from the impact. “Even if you are used to it, I hate when people jump to conclusions about me without getting to know me first. I did that to you, and I’m sorry. I’m also sorry if the cookies are burnt. I’ve been studying my ass off and have been out of practice with my baking.”
“Oh, please.” Reese opened the bag, her eyes sparkling with excitement. “At least you can bake. The kitchen is like a foreign country to me, and every time I attempt to cook something, something gets burnt. It’s like some kind of talent. Our housekeeper Carmen came with us from Beverly Hills and has been trying to teach me since I was, like, seven because she’s afraid any potential husband is going to reject me if I don’t know how to cook.” She paused in order to take a bite of the treat. “Oh my God, Andie. How did you know cookies are my forbidden pleasure?”
“I’m glad you like them,” Andie said.
At that moment, Carey dropped into the vacant seat next to Andie and quipped, “I still can’t believe you didn’t get thrown out and you got the internship.”
“Thrown out?” Reese asked through a mouthful of cookie. “Internship?”
Andie and Carey quickly filled Reese in on Andie’s complete history with Jack Phillip. It spanned all of two days, but by the end of it, Reese nearly choked on her cookie because she was laughing so hard. The girls had to lower their voices as their other classmates trickled in.
“Can I hear the message?” Reese asked.
Andie nodded her head, whipped out her outdated flip phone, and after typing in her password, handed the phone to Reese.
“I’m nervous,” Andie admitted, her hand cupping the back of her neck. “I start today. My mom and I actually went to Kohl’s so I could get business attire.”
“How is your mom?” Carey asked in a whisper.
Andie pressed her lips together before responding. “The same since Dad left. Now that she gave me her car, she never leaves the house. Kohl's was a shocker to all of us. I actually have to swing by the grocery store tonight.”
“She still doesn’t work?”
Andie rolled her eyes. “I wish she would,” she murmured. “Mom used to love work. Now she sits around all day, watching soap operas and Maury. It’s why I’m so lucky I got that internship. My job at the Spirit Museum is only on weekends, and that, combined with Keirah’s job at the bank, was just not cutting it anymore. She only works Saturdays now because of her mandatory internship program all seniors have to take, and her program definitely isn’t paid. We really need the extra income.”
“So,” Reese said. “How’d you get the position? Apologize?”
“No,” Andie said, shaking her head. “He apparently liked the fact that I was honest with him, so he sought me out himself. Just after you left the balcony, he offered me the position.”
“And,” Carey put in, “knowing Andie, she didn’t say, ‘Thanks so much for the offer, Mr. Phillip. Of course I’d be happy to take the job.’ ”
“Okay, first of all, that was a terrible impression of me,” Andie said. “Secondly, I merely relayed to him my concern about being messed with, and told him that if he was doing such a thing, karma was going to bite him in that cement-like ass of his.” Carey let out a groan and Reese threw her head back to laugh. Everyone in the room turned to look at her—even Mr. Frampton—but Reese didn’t seem to notice. “What? You should be proud I censored myself.”
Reese leaned toward Andie, a mischievous smile on her face. “Did you really tell him he had a cement-like ass?” she asked.
“Like anyone needs to tell him that,” Andie replied. “Of course I didn’t tell him. It would just add to that ass-tronomical ego of his.”
“All right, all right, let’s simmer down,” Mr. Frampton said, taking his usual position in front of the podium. “Class has officially begun.”
“I hate the sun,” Andie muttered to herself as she emerged from the parking garage onto the sidewalk. The Phillip Enterprises building was only a few feet away and she already felt sweat stains starting to form under her arms.
She had spent the entire lunch period forgoing lunch and getting ready. She wore a green collared blouse and black tuxedo pants. A matching black blazer was tucked over her arm and on her feet was a pair of sensible black flats. Her bangs were pulled back from her face with a pair of bobby pins, and, with the help of Reese, her face was lightly made up.
Once she reached the doors to Phillip Enterprises, Andie shrugged on the blazer, knowing she’d be wearing it for the rest of the workday unless she wanted her new co-workers to see her newly-acquired stains.
“How may I help you?” a woman sitting behind the receptionist’s desk asked, flashing Andie a polite smile.
“Oh, hi,” Andie said, relishing the cool air conditioning. She shifted her weight. “My name is Andie Shepherd. I, uh, well, I’m Jack Phillip’s new intern.”
“Right,” the woman—her nameplate said Denise—murmured, flipping through a neat stack of organized papers. She glanced up at Andie and a wrinkle touched her forehead. She didn't even bother to hide her eye roll. Andie wondered if she had done something to Denise personally or if she didn't like the interns in general. “Mr. Phillip informed me that he was expecting you. Please go up to the forty-fifth floor where Miranda Winokur will tell you what is expected of you.”
“Oh.” Andie’s shoulders slumped and her lips curled into a frown. She should have known Jack wouldn't be the one training her. Obviously. He had a company to run. She had just been hoping to pick his brain for business advice. And maybe to see him again. “It’s just, I thought Mr. Phillip was going to train me himself since I’d be his intern.”
Her statement must have been amusing to Denise because she burst out into a fit of giggles. Andie furrowed her brow but kept the words that sprung to her tongue behind tightly-pressed lips as she waited for the receptionist to collect herself.
“I’m sorry,” Denise said, covering her mouth because there was still a smile on her face. “You must think I’m so rude. It’s just that what you said was something a new person would say. Let me see if I can explain more clearly: Mr. Phillip does not have time to train people, he hires people to do that for him.”
Andie clenched her jaw, counting down from ten. She would not respond, she would not respond, she would not—
"I know you're only in high school, kid," Denise said, her tone laced with condescending sincerity as she clacked away at her keyboard, her eyes on her screen. "But you can't assume that just because you have a nice rack doesn't mean you get what you want, even if Jack Phillip is your boss."
“Maybe if your rack was as big as your personality, you wouldn't be a part-time receptionist sitting by yourself while all the real important employees get to head upstairs,” Andie snapped, and with that, she turned and headed to the elevators.
So much for not responding.
As she stepped into the metal compartment, she hung her head, muttering in frustration to herself. She shouldn't let people goad her into these reactions because at the end of the day, they won. Andie knew she would be dealing with people like this, especially in business. She needed to stop being reactive and started being relaxed. It was only then that she realized she couldn't remember what floor Denise had told her to go to. Forty-something.
Hmm.
Just before the doors closed, a long arm slid through, causing the doors to spring open. In walked Jack Phillip himself; and much to Andie’s dismay, every hair on his head was perfectly in place and there was no chance he had sweat stains under his arms.
Oh my God, I don’t smell, do I?
Phillip regarded Andie with a polite nod and reached out to press the button to the forty-fifth floor. Something inside Andie told her this was indeed the floor she was supposed to go to and she felt herself relax at the fact that she wouldn’t have to ask Phillip for help.
That lasted up until Phillip glanced at her and said, “You know, Denise just told me something very interesting …”
“Oh yeah?” Andie closed her eyes, wincing, but her heart wasn't in her response. “Denise looks like she would say something interesting.”
Phillip furrowed his brow, taking in his new employee. “Was that supposed to be an insult?” he asked, trying to mask his grin.
“Did it sound like an insult?” she asked as innocently as she could before her face flattened. “What, exactly, did she say?”
“Apparently,” he replied, placing his hands in his pockets. “Oh, how did she put it? ‘Some new redhead with an out-of-fashion striped shirt has a bad attitude and you should fire her as soon as you get the chance.’ Yeah, that’s how it went.”
“Okay, I probably crossed a line,” she admitted. She clenched her jaw before continuing. “Not that I’m justifying my behavior, but she insinuated that my rack got me this internship.”
“A perfectly reasonable statement.”
Andie’s gaze snapped into his. “Are you saying my rack did get me this internship?” she asked. She felt her face turn red. That was the last thing she wanted.
“Of course not,” Jack said, serious. “Although I am an asshole, so that’s probably not too far off, wouldn't you say?” This comment caused Andie to scowl which made him laugh.
When the elevator doors slid open at the appropriate floor, Andie suddenly felt uncomfortable. Stepping out, she felt everyone’s eyes on her, peeking over the cubicles to get a good look. She estimated that nearly forty people worked on this floor, and she could see them scrutinizing her, judging her. While Phillip seemed to admire her sassy attitude, she was certain that people here weren’t as welcoming. Of course, it didn’t really matter whether they liked her or not, just as long as Phillip did. But she knew she’d be interacting with these people on a day-to-day basis, and she wanted to make sure she made a go
od first impression.
“Good morning,” Phillip announced, standing next to her. He acknowledged his employees with direct eye contact and a curt nod, his hands still in his pockets. “I hope everyone is having a good day so far. This,” he nodded at Andie, “is my new intern, Andie Shepherd. Please make her feel welcome.” He looked down at her and spoke so only she could hear. “Ready to meet the woman you’ll be working with directly?”
Andie nodded, accepting that she wouldn't be his intern, and let him lead her through the cubicles of people until he stopped at a rather spacious office on the other side of the room. On the door, she saw the name Miranda Winokur written in black calligraphy. There was a desk in the center of the room and a smaller one tucked in the corner. Both desks had a computer, a phone, and everything else one might need at a corporation. There were chairs in case of visitors and a copy of The Onyx Post on both desks. The view of the city was absolutely beautiful, and she walked over to the window, gazing down at the crowded streets. The sun was still shining.
“Do you like it?” he asked once she turned to face him again. “Miranda should be here any minute.”
Andie bit her lip, trying to conceal a smile, but the wrinkles around her eyes gave her away.
“Good,” he replied. He was looking at her in an odd way, one she couldn’t decipher, but he seemed sincere. “I’m glad.”
At that moment, a woman walked in with two mugs that, judging from the smell, Andie guessed was coffee. She looked like she was in her mid-twenties with dark, curly brown hair and matching brown eyes. She was hefty, with a bright smile that lit up her entire face.
Once she set the coffee down, she spun around to Andie and stuck out her hand. “I’m Miranda Winokur,” she said, shaking Andie’s hand. “You must be Andie. Coffee? You’re going to need it working for this guy.”
“Got to keep you guys in check,” Jack teased. “Well, I’ll let you get to it. Have fun, Andie.”
Awaken: Book 1 in The Dark Paradise Chronicles Page 5