White Lies

by Jenny Lynn

  “That’s different,” he said.

  “Family is family,” I countered. Nicholas laughed.

  “If you say so, Breanne. I’ll let my mother know. Would you be ready in a few hours if I sent a car around to pick you up and bring you over?”

  “Sure,” I told him, glancing at the clock. It was ten in the morning, more than enough time to shower and dress then pack an overnight bag.

  “Oh, and I’m taking you out for lunch,” he added. “So I hope you’re hungry.”

  “Famished,” I told him.

  “Great, see you soon.” I hung up and poured myself a generous mug of coffee, stirring in milk and sugar. I sipped at it, walking back to my bedroom, then stared into my closet. I pulled out a navy skirt, white t-shirt and ballet flats for today then tried to decide what I should wear for brunch with his family. I pulled out the light blue dress Nicholas bought me in Spain. It was designer, which I thought Nancy Blackstone might approve of, and I knew it was flattering on me while still having a classic silhouette. With clothing choices made I headed for the shower and washed myself, doing a full body scrub and shaving my legs. After drying off I smoothed moisturizer over my skin then brushed my teeth and dried my hair. I kept my makeup light and natural, packing a few things in a bag to bring with me to Nicholas’ tonight.

  In my room I tossed my things into an overnight bag and pulled open my dresser, picking out my nicest underwear. I got dressed then glanced at the clock, it was amazing how quickly two hours passed. The car would be along anytime now. My phone rang, I picked it up and answered, expecting the driver to be a bit early.

  “Hello,” I said, cradling the phone against my ear as I zipped my bag shut.

  “Hey,” said a voice on the other line. I waited for them to say more, but the silence stretched out. “Can we talk?” they added finally.

  “Who is this?” I asked, carrying my bag to the front door and placing it down.

  “It’s Eric,” he said. “I guess you deleted my number from your phone.”

  My stomach lurched, what did he want. “There was no point keeping it,” I told him. “We broke up.” There was a sigh on the other end of the line.

  “Breanne, look. I’ve had time to reflect on what happened between us and I owe you an apology for how I acted. I guess things were going well between us so I got scared and I sabotaged everything.”

  “It’s fine, Eric,” I told him. “Apology accepted.”

  “Do you think we could have coffee sometime?” he asked. I twisted my face, I could not believe he was doing this. It was typical of him, now that he couldn’t have me and I was moving on with someone else he wanted me back.

  “No, Eric,” I said firmly. “That wouldn’t be a good idea.”

  “It could be just as friends,” he countered. “Please? I want to see you again.”

  “I’m not trying to be mean Eric, but I don’t want to be friends with you.” There was another stretch of silence before he spoke again.

  “I deserve that,” he conceded. “I guess things are going well between you and Nicholas Blackstone?”

  “They are,” I admitted.

  “I really screwed up Breanne,” he said, his voice absent of the cocky tone I was so used to. “I’m always going to regret how I treated you.”

  There was a knock at the door. “I have to go Eric, my ride is here.”

  “Okay Breanne,” he said. “Stay out of trouble.”

  “You too,” I told him, then hung up. I stared at the phone for a moment in my hand, that had been completely unexpected. Another knock at the door snapped me back to attention and I picked up my bag, opening the door and following the driver down the steps to an idling black Bentley. He opened the door for me and I thanked him then slid into the back. We wound through the streets of Chicago towards where Nicholas was waiting for me. I reflected on the span of my love life, a handful of relationships that started off nice enough, then ran their course. Things were different with Nicholas. There was an intense spark between us, so much passion. I found myself falling more for him every day, enthralled by the way he looked at me and slowly discovering what kind of man he was.

  The car slowed to a stop and I got out, the concierge at the front desk nodding at me then picking up a phone. “Mister Blackstone? Miss Taylor is here for you,” he said. He hung up then nodded to the elevator. “You can go up Miss.”

  I pressed the button for the penthouse and the doors closed, rising steadily upwards. When they opened I saw Nicholas standing in the hallway with a large man with broad shoulders. They were deep in conversation but stopped and turned when they saw me.

  “Breanne,” Nicholas said as he walked towards me. “Let me take that for you.” He leaned forward and kissed me, his lips capturing mine sweetly as he took the bag from my hands. He walked down the hallway past the kitchen and disappeared into the master bedroom, returning with empty hands. “Ready to go?” he asked.

  I nodded and he scooped my hand into his, entwining our fingers as we headed back into the elevator. The large man followed us, a hard and stoic expression on his face. As the elevator made its way down I looked from the man to Nicholas. Clearly he was coming with us. Nicholas noticed my glances and explained.

  “This is Tony, he’s my private security detail. Just a precaution.”

  “Of course,” I said. It made sense. “Nice to meet you, Tony,” I told him with a nervous smile. Tony glanced at me, the corner of his lips softening very slightly.

  “Miss Taylor,” he told me with a nod, then he continued looking forward.

  The car was still parked at the curb waiting for us. Tony climbed into the front seat, Nicholas and I got into the back. “How do you feel about sushi?” Nicholas asked. “I know a great spot.” I tried to act casual, but the security detail was going to take some time for me to get used to. It wasn’t so much that he felt like a chaperone, it was a constant reminder of the danger we had faced and that it was still potentially a threat.

  “That sounds perfect,” I told him with a smile. This was a good thing, it meant Nicholas would be safe.

  “Aji Sai on Main,” Nicholas leaned forward and told the driver who turned down a side street and changed course. Nicholas traced circles on my hand lightly with his fingertips, I leaned over and rested my head on his shoulder. It felt good to be by his side, even though it hadn’t been long since I saw him last. I breathed in the scent of his cologne, closing my eyes. It was only a few short blocks before the driver stopped and turned in his seat.

  “We’re here, Mister Blackstone,” he informed us.

  “Thank you,” Nicholas said as he opened the door and took my hand as I got out. I noticed Tony stayed seated in the car as we headed inside. At the front a woman smiled at us as we approached.

  “Good afternoon,” she said to us. “Table for two?”

  “Yes please,” Nicholas told her. She picked up a couple of menus and we followed her deeper into the restaurant, past a fountain feature built into the wall trickling down slowly and soothingly. The walls were covered in a faint cherry blossom wallpaper with bamboo trim, at a counter three men were preparing fresh sushi. We were shown to a table in the back and sat down.

  “Would you care for tea?” she asked. Nicholas and I both nodded, she walked away.

  “I assumed Tony would be joining us,” I admitted to Nicholas. He looked at me, then laughed.

  “That would be a nice lunch date, you me and the bodyguard?”

  I laughed too then shook my head. “You know what I mean,” I told him. “He’s here to keep you safe.”

  “I am safe, Breanne,” he assured me. “Tony is just a precaution. I spoke with the police, as of now there’s nothing to indicate that I’m in any danger here but I’m taking steps to make sure. I refuse to live my life in fear.”

  The woman returned and placed two steaming cups of green tea down in front of us. “Would you like to order?” she asked.

  “I would like to order the chef’s selection,”
Nicholas told me. “How does that sound?”

  “Sounds good to me,” I agreed. The waitress nodded and picked up our menus and walked away. Once she was gone I turned back to Nicholas. “So they really have no idea who attacked us?” Nicholas looked at me, as if he was trying to decide what to tell me. He clearly had more information than he was letting on. “What is it?” I pressed.

  “There was video surveillance at the docks, our attackers were captured on tape and identified by the police in Spain. Luckily they’re not that bright or else they would have disabled the cameras. From what the police confirmed with me they’re low level members of a local gang; both have criminal records. The police are on the hunt for them now, I assume they’re both in hiding. Once they’re caught hopefully we’ll be able to find out who hired them.”

  “So they were hired specifically to target you?” I asked.

  “It looks that way,” Nicholas said, his voice grim.

  “What if they try again, here, soon?” I asked, trying to keep the panic from my voice.

  Nicholas reached across the table and cupped my hands in his own. “That’s what Tony is hired for,” he assured me. “If I stop living my life, they win. Now, let’s talk about something else. Are you looking forward to seeing your parents?”

  “I am,” I told him. “They’re understandably concerned about what happened, so they might have questions for you about Spain and the investigation. Just so you know.”

  “I can understand that,” he told me. The waitress came back and placed a platter of various sushi down in front of us. It looked delicious and I was hungry. We picked up our chopsticks and started to eat when something caught my eye. There was a man at a table across the room who was looking directly at me, but when our eyes met he looked away back down to the magazine in his hands. I shifted my attention back to the delicate slices of fresh fish, assuring myself it was nothing. I was letting my imagination get the best of me and being paranoid.

  “There’s an event next Tuesday,” Nicholas said after finishing a piece of salmon. “It’s a benefit providing access to medical imaging technology to those without medical care. Blackstone Enterprises made a sizeable contribution and I’ve been invited to attend. I’d like it if you would come with me.”

  “Of course,” I told him. “I’d love to. I have class but will start getting ready afterwards.”

  “I’ll order you a gown,” Nicholas stated as he ate a piece of bright red tuna. I shook my head.

  “I don’t think I’m going to get used to you buying me clothes,” I told him.

  “I like to do nice things for you, Breanne,” he replied with a smile. “But you could wear anything and still be the most beautiful woman in the room.” A flush spread across my cheek. We finished our meal, Nicholas had been right; this place was incredible. Since meeting him I was starting to grow accustomed to some of the finer things in life, it was like being exposed to a whole different world even though we lived in the same city. His Chicago and my Chicago were different in so many ways, but Nicholas never made me feel inferior. I hoped that would go the same for seeing his mother again.

  After we left the restaurant and got into the car Nicholas asked the driver to drop us off at Jackson Park. Tony turned around in his seat. “The public park sir?” he asked in his deep voice.

  “Yes,” Nicholas said with a determined tone. “I want to go for a walk with Breanne.”

  Tony nodded and we started to drive, weaving through traffic. I was watching out the window as cars sped by, trying not to be concerned. Clearly Tony had reservations about being in a public park, should I be concerned as well? Through the glass a motorcycle roared and sped past us. I turned and looked at Nicholas, his jaw was set in a hard line that softened when his eyes met mine. I slipped my hand under his. When we arrived at the park we got out and started down the path. The car swayed as Tony’s large frame stepped out. Nicholas held my hand and we walked together, heading for the water. Tony gave us our space, watching us from a distance. I did feel better that he was there.

  “I haven’t been here in years,” I told Nicholas as I took in the scenery around me.

  “I thought it would be nice,” he said. A slight breeze rustled through the limbs of the trees and swirled my hair around my shoulders. Hand in hand we walked to the water’s edge where a few birds were floating effortlessly. “There is something I’ve been meaning to talk to you about, Breanne,” Nicholas began. His tone sounded suddenly so serious, I turned to face him.

  “Is everything okay?” I asked.

  “My mother assured me she wants to get to know you, that she’s going to be kind to you tomorrow. But there will be extended family there as well as friends of family.”

  “And they might not approve of me,” I finished for him.

  “They can be classist. I just want you to remember no matter what anyone says, you are an intelligent and exceptional woman. You’ve worked hard in life, it’s admirable. You’ve captivated me, you’re so different than anyone I’ve ever met.”

  I looked down, suddenly feeling nervous. “Maybe it’s just the novelty of dating an ordinary girl.” Nicholas placed his finger under my chin and lifted my face until I was looking him in the eyes.

  “You’re the furthest thing from ordinary,” he told me. “Breanne, what I wanted to tell you is that I-”

  “Him again,” I said, twisting my head in surprise. The moment was broken as Nicholas followed my gaze to a man across the water watching us, a camera in his hands. It was the man from the restaurant. Had he been taking photos of us? As we both stared at him the man took off running back to the park entrance. Nicholas turned back and Tony seemed to see what we had seen, then took off running. The man had a head start and jumped onto a motorcycle, speeding away just before Tony reached him. Tony pulled a phone out of his pocket and pressed a button, then started to shout into it.

  “Come on,” Nicholas said, his voice firm and commanding as he brought me back out of the park towards the entrance. We climbed into the car, Tony jumped into the front seat and we took off. I looked over at Nicholas, his face was grim.

  “Did you get the plate number?” he asked Tony.

  “Looking into it now Mister Blackstone,” he replied, the phone still pressed against his ear.

  The tension in the car was thick, I clenched my hands together tightly at my sides until my fingernails were digging into my skin. I hadn’t imagined it, that man had been following us. Who was he, and what did he want? Would I ever feel safe again? But there was something else too; what was Nicholas about to say to me before we were interrupted? I looked over at him, his face was stoic. He wrapped his arm around me and pulled me towards him, I sank against his body. The car was warm but I still felt a chill.

  20

  I was applying a swipe of pink lipstick when Nicholas came up behind me, shirtless, watching me in the mirror. He tilted his head and pressed his lips against my neck, looking at my reflection with a devious smile. Moving the strap of my dress he continued to kiss along my exposed shoulder. I sighed, loving the sensation of his mouth against my skin.

  “If you keep that up, we’re going to be late for brunch,” I warned him.

  “Let’s skip it then,” he mumbled, continuing to nibble along my collarbone.

  We had spent the rest of the afternoon yesterday then into the evening in bed together. He was skilled and dominant in bed, I could have stayed between the sheets with him forever. But there were obligations we needed to get ready for.

  “I don’t think your mom would be happy with either of us if we skipped,” I told him, turning to face him and run my hands along his bare chest. “As much as I like you like this, you should probably get dressed.” He kissed me, holding my head as he explored my mouth, then finally pulled away leaving me breathless.

  “You’re right Breanne,” he told me. “And you look stunning.” I did a small curtsy for him, holding the hem of my dress in my hand and smiling sweetly at him. He winked and walked b
ack into the bedroom. I heard him pulling open his closet while I finished touching up my makeup and fixing my hair. When I walked back to the bedroom he was looping a tie around his collar. I leaned against the door frame, enjoying watching him get dressed in the fine tailored suit. He pulled the tie taut then walked back towards me.

  “Ready?” he asked. I took a deep breath and nodded even though I felt like I was heading into the dragon’s den. We headed downstairs into the waiting black car. As I slid across the seat I looked into the front, then to Nicholas as he sat beside me.

  “Where is Tony?” I asked.

  “He’s doing some work for me today,” Nicholas told me. “We’re just going to my family home, we’ll be safe.”

  We wove our way through the streets of Chicago until we arrived at the Gold Coast neighbourhood where Nicholas grew up. We passed mansion after mansion, enclosed by tall iron gates beyond which were green and immaculate yards. It was a far cry from the aluminum sided Michigan home where I grew up. The car approached a gate and we paused, then they started to swing open allowing us to continue down the long driveway to a massive brick house with white columns in front. Trees lined the driveway, everything felt larger than life making me feel out of place and incredibly small. I was clutching my dress in my hands, I hadn’t even noticed the car stopped until Nicholas took my hand into his.

  I was standing in front of the house, Nicholas at my side, as we went inside. The entryway was wide and spacious in front of a tall staircase, heavy framed artwork on the walls and a crystal chandelier suspended high above. I followed Nicholas into an adjoining room where people were mingling and talking in small groups, balancing flutes of champagne. A server passed by us and offered drinks, Nicholas took two flutes from her and passed me one.

  “Nicholas, my dear, there you are,” came a familiar voice. Nancy Blackstone noticed us and excused herself from a conversation to come over. She leaned forward and kissed the air beside Nicholas’ cheek, then turned her attention to me. “Breanne, thank you for coming,” she said then repeated the air-kiss.