At one point, my questions were getting to be too much for him. He raised his hand to me but then stopped right before his hand touched my face. He backed off and straightened his suit, telling me just to do what he asked.
I should’ve been thankful, but it made me more nervous and scared. William never thought twice about hitting me. I kept thinking, whomever was coming and for whatever reason, he must be important. William needed me to look beautiful and not marked up.
I hope that Theo will never get the chance to read this part. I start reliving it as I read it, remembering how I started to gain my power.
Dressing in a beautiful black dress, I begin fixing my hair and makeup. William comes in, holding out his arms for me to button his cuffs. Once I’m done, I turn back towards the mirror to finish. But William doesn’t leave. He lays his hands on my shoulders and kisses my neck as he watches me in the mirror.
“Things will get better, you’ll see.”
That’s all he says before he kisses my neck again and walks out. Minutes later the doorbell rings. Causing me to stand tall and put a brave face on. The one that hides all my true feelings.
As I head downstairs, I see a large man entering with two guards with him. He shakes hands with William then turns, asking his guards to wait outside. When he turns back around, he looks up hearing my footsteps and says with a southern drawl,
“Well my God! William, I heard your wife was a beauty, but those sons of a bitches didn’t do her justice.”
William laughs it off and comes to fetch me, bringing me closer to the man. “Catherine, I would like to introduce you to Richard Shaw. He is our neighbor from Texas. He is to Texas what I am to Louisiana.”
Right then I understand why he’s important, but why is he here? Richard grabs my hand and kisses it.
“Darlin’, it’s a pleasure to meet you.”
Smiling, I ask, “Would you like a drink Mr. Shaw? Supper shouldn’t be too much longer.”
He smiles in return and follows me into the living room. I know how to play my role. I’ve perfected it. No longer the shy, quiet girl watching her husband as he works the room. I now own my role and working the room myself, entertaining anyone and everyone. There isn’t one man or woman alive, I can’t charm.
“Please darlin’, call me Richard. I will take whatever you’re making.”
“Then it will be whiskey, two fingers straight up.”
He watches me as I make William’s and his drink. “William, you lucky bastard.”
William slaps his back and veers him off to a chair. “She’s more than I deserve. What can I say? I was lucky to find her.”
With their backs turned to me, I roll my eyes at how full of shit he is. I finish pouring their drinks and bring it to them like the perfect fucking hostess I am. When I hand William his, I bend giving him a kiss.
“We were both lucky to find each other.” The lies come spewing out me easier than they used to.
Sitting down in an adjacent chair, I watch William squirm from my words. Interesting thing is, Richard picked up on it too. He raises a brow with a knowing smile in my direction. As they start to talk, I look at Richard. He’s a good-looking man. Dark hair, hazel eyes, tall and strong looking but not so much muscle as he is solid. He’s almost brutish looking. He’s dressed in an expensive suit but as I look down, I see his cowboy boots. I smile without realizing it and then I hear Richard say,
“You like them?”
I break my trance and ask, “Excuse me?”
“My boots, I saw you admiring them. Aren’t they a bueat? Cost me a small fortune, custom made to fit only me.”
That’s when I realize he’s been watching everything I did. Surprisingly very acute to his surroundings.
“Yes, very much. I was just wondering where your cowboy hat is. I imagine you’re not a cowboy though if you didn’t come in wearing one.”
He chuckles out robustly. “Darlin’, I assure you, I am a full-blown cowboy. I have a huge ranch in Texas. I didn’t wear my hat tonight because I thought it would be inappropriate. You should come and see my ranch sometime. Of course, you too William, as my guests. There would be no need for hotels, I have a guest house. I can teach you how to ride, a horse that is.” He talks with so much confidence and even has the nerve to wink at me.
William finishes off his drink, looking pissed at Richard’s forwardness with me in front of him. But, he swallows and manages to put a smile on, making me wonder what in the hell is he wanting from this man?
“That would be lovely. Right William? I’ve always wanted to learn how to ride a horse.”
Whatever is going on, I need to continue with the charade. William taught me how to be the perfect lady and Theo taught me how to use my body. So, I put my teachings to use. Crossing my legs seductively, I watch the reaction I get from Richard. He sits back in his chair and crosses one leg over his knee, studying me up and down.
Conversation goes on until Jeffery comes in the room. “Mrs. Stern, dinner is served”
“Thank you, Jeffery.”
We all stand, and Richard tells William, “You are, one lucky bastard William. You have a true lady of the house. Your butler, calls to her and not you. That’s when you know you have a keeper. The staff shows her respect.”
His words throw me. I’ve never really thought about it but he’s right. I think back and realize the staff have been addressing and referring to me and not William like they used to. Especially Jeffery, I can’t remember the last time he even looked William in the eye. Huh.
As the men let me take the lead, Jeffery comes back interrupting, whispering in my ear that Gabriel’s crying. He says, the nanny hasn’t been able to calm him.
“Gentlemen, if you will excuse me for a few minutes. My son seems to be giving his nanny a hard time. I shouldn’t be too long. Sometimes he just needs to see me before he’s willing to fall asleep.”
William corrects me quick, “You mean our son?”
Smiling, I say, “Of course William. Please, you two start without me.”
Turning, I start walking up the stairs with both of them watching me. Entering Gabriel’s nursery, puts the first genuine smile of the night, on my face. His nanny hands him to me apologizing. Waving her off, I explain how much I love that he needs me. She smiles and walks out the room leaving me to him. I begin our routine, I start by sitting in the rocking chair, rocking him while humming his favorite tune. His ear is next. He loves me rubbing his ear and it never fails to put him fast to sleep. Sure enough, it doesn’t take long before he’s sleeping in my arms. Holding him, looking at his angelic face, I think of all the things I’ve lived through and how it was all worth it for just this moment. A moment of sheer bliss. When his small lips start to move like a sucking action for the binky I took away, I quietly laugh and let a single tear fall. Nothing, not one single moment would I trade if it meant I wouldn’t have him.
Standing, I lay him in his crib. Watching him sleep, I think about what is going on downstairs. The fear comes back to me, wondering again why William’s so nervous. He’s never like this. If this meeting is so important to him then it is to me and Gabriel too. I will do whatever I can to make it go our way. Not for William but for my son.
Heading downstairs, I pause and over hear some of the conversation. William is asking Richard for help. He’s telling him it’s just a loan. That we will have the money soon. Then I hear him mention things just got out of hand, saying we’re in trouble because of some minor bad decisions. What is he talking about? How can we be in that much trouble? He hasn’t told me anything. But then again, he never would.
William’s voice escalates trying to show strength. “I need this Richard. Do you really want to go against me?!”
Richard laughs at him and says, “William, control yourself. You think I’m an idiot? I know exactly why you’re in trouble and I know what the fuck you’ve been doing. Throwing it all up your nose or shooting it in your arms. Don’t threaten me, it falls on deaf ears. You don�
�t scare anyone anymore. One time maybe, but not now. I think, I’ll sit back and wait for all your men to take care of you, then I will take what I want. Leaving the scraps to them. I will even have a say in who takes your place. You might have been lucky marrying that beautiful woman upstairs but you sure in the hell fucked yourself up everywhere else. Was it really worth killing your father and brother for the position? You weren’t ready for it and you’ve been proving it.”
What?! William killed his father and brother? That’s how he came into his position. The business is failing, and he said the men will come for him. My head is spinning with all this information. I have to do something. No matter how much I hate William, I need him. Our son needs him.
I hurry down the rest of the steps right as Richard stands.
“Richard, where are you off to? I hope I wasn’t too long.”
“No darlin’. I’m sorry, but your husband and I seem to have had a disagreement. Under other circumstances, I would’ve loved to get to know you more.”
He kisses my hand then looks back at William standing tall. With that, he walks out with his guards following behind him.
The minute he drives off, William backhands me. “Where the fuck were you?!”
“I was with our son. He needed me!”
“He needed you to be here! But you failed him once again.”
He walks off leaving me holding my face. He goes to the bar and makes himself another drink.
“William, talk to me. Tell me what’s going on.”
“What’s going on?! I’m on the verge of losing it all, that’s what.”
“How?”
“Don’t worry about it. I just need the fucking money to get back on my feet then everyone that has been talking behind my back will be killed. Things will go back to normal.”
“How much do we need?”
He throws his glass, shattering it against the wall and comes after me, grabbing my hair at the back of my neck.
“Don’t fucking question me. I don’t need my wife on my ass. All you need to know is I needed you and you failed.”
“What the hell was I supposed to do William?”
“Anything I fucking ask!”
He lets go of me roughly causing me stumble and walks back to the bar. “He liked you. I knew he would. Richard has excellent taste. I needed something on him.”
“What do you mean you need something on him?”
“Don’t be stupid! If he dared to try something with you or if you could persuade him to give you something, then I would have ammunition against him. He wouldn’t want a war between us and my men would defend me.”
My back straightens, is he saying what I think he’s saying? “Are you suggesting, you wanted me to sleep with him?”
“I am suggesting you do what is necessary for this family.”
My head sinks as I walk off. I should have figured that’s what he wanted. I knew by the way he wanted me to dress, he expected me to flirt, but never this. But then again, why not this? There’s nothing this man wouldn’t do to me. I can’t believe I actually tried to believe him when he told me he loved me. This isn’t love. After everything, I still wanted to think he regretted it all.
I walk to the nursery again to watch my son sleep. Theo warned me this would all happen. He said to be prepared and have a backup plan. I tried and failed. William’s right, I am failing Gabriel. Not anymore, I can’t when the wolves are practically at our doorstep. They will kill William and maybe me and Gabriel. They will definitely rob my son of his place in this world. If we do survive, where will I take him? How will I raise him?
I know what I have to do. I walk out of the room holding my head high. I am Catherine Stern and Richard Shaw will give me what I need one way or another. He might have dealt with men like William before, but he has never dealt with a desperate mother.
Walking back downstairs with a warm jacket, I go straight to William. “Where is he? What hotel is he staying at?”
He stands. “What are you going to do?”
“What’s necessary.”
He looks at me deciding if he wants to give me the information or not. For the first time I see confusion in him. But like always, he lets me down again and hands me a card with the hotel information and room number on it.
I leave him standing there, without a word. Fuck him! I’m not doing this for him and he knows it. He knows it’s always for Gabriel.
Driving myself, I head for the hotel. Upon arrival, I head straight for the elevators. I keep telling myself over and over, I can do this, but my hands are shaking so bad. Looking at myself in the reflection from the elevator doors, I tell myself, “You have to do this. Remember who you are. Not Katie, you are Catherine Stern.” My hands stop shaking and a calm comes over me as the elevator doors open. I don’t need to look for the room numbers, I figure out right away which one is his from his bodyguards standing on each side of his door. One of the penthouse suites, of course.
Making my way to door they stop me before I reach it. “Tell Richard, Catherine is here.”
One of them knocks on the door and it swings open. Richard doesn’t look shocked, he simply opens the door wider and allows me to pass.
“You’re not surprised.”
“No, your husband’s desperate.”
“Fuck my husband.”
He starts laughing and helps to remove my jacket and lays it on the arm of the sofa. “I was about to order something to eat since supper was cut short. I’m afraid I’m starving. Would you like something?”
“Yes please, I am too.”
He orders for the both of us, as I walk around the suite.
He watches me and says, “Beautiful.”
“It is, isn’t it. The view of the city is perfect from up here.”
“I was talking about my view from inside.”
I turn with a big smile. “You are a charmer, aren’t you?”
“Darlin’, I’m a lot of things. What I’m not is stupid. There is nothing I wouldn’t do to have you in my room and bed. But I am afraid it won’t work. There is no way in hell I’m investing in William.”
I nod my head, knowing it was a long shot. Can’t say I blame him. William’s not the man he used to be. But then I get an idea.
“What if you weren’t investing in William?”
He laughs again and fixes a drink, raising his head asking if I want one. I motion yes.
“Then who?”
“Me.”
I remember the look on his face when I told him, “Me.” It was priceless, He stared at me like he was trying to look deep into my soul, looking for any information he could drag out. Looking for any crack in my armor. Over time, I had learned a lot from my husband and the men I was always around. I saw what they bowed to and what they thought was weakness. I would show none. I stood there like I’d been waiting for this my whole life. Like the queen I was going to become.
He walks toward me and hands me my drink. “I like you Catherine.”
I take the drink and sit crossing my legs. “I know.”
“No, darlin’, I like you. I’ll give you a chance to convince me to help you but if you for once, act like or say it’s for William, I will stop you. There won’t be any second chances.”
We talked for quite a while. Bantering back and forth, all while I played a seductive game. I needed him, and I was not walking out this room until I had him. This man, Richard, could help more than anyone else. More than William obviously but also more than Theo. I love Theo, but he didn’t have the power to really get me what I needed. I knew Richard on the other hand, could be all I need for William to be forced to give me some power. If my plans worked out, William would have no choice. I knew he would punish me for it, but I would deal with it later. I had to be careful though. Richard had an extreme amount of power, like William, but he wasn’t all drugged up and half out of his mind. Making Richard in a lot of ways, scarier. Richard was and still is, very aware, calculating, manipulative and smart beyond your
average boss. If I played my cards right I would learn from him and take every opportunity he would offer me.
“What exactly is it that you want Catherine?’
“I want to be able to guarantee my son’s future. William like you know has been slipping. If we don’t get the loan, he will eventually lose all his power. I can’t have that.”
“I understand, but honestly, why wouldn’t I let him fall? Besides do you really expect me to invest in a woman with no experience?”
Pretending I have all the answers I tell him, “Yes. I know what you think of me but there is so much more. I will guarantee to have your return to you within three years.”
“How in the hell do you propose to do that?”
“See, what you men fail to see in women is the need to protect and provide for our children. I am desperate, and a desperate mother will do anything and everything.”
He starts laughing at me, pissing me off.
“Plus, you will have me!”
“What?”
“You loan me the money and teach me the business. Then in exchange, I will repay the loan plus interest within three years. During this time, you can have me whenever you want. Our states can work together when needed as long as it does not go against what is best for my son’s future. We can have a partnership.”
“Your husband will never allow it.”
“But you will. Isn’t that all that William needs to know? He is growing weaker, and you need someone already in place because I know you don’t want a war. If you tried to come here and take over, the other bosses will fight against you because they will want it for themselves. You don’t want that, just like I don’t. At least with me you, will have an ally.”
“You make a valid point, but I have someone in mind for the position. He’s local so no one will question who is actually running the show.”
Art of Survival: Part One (A Stern Family Saga Book 5) Page 17