Dangerously Yours (Titans of Chicago #3)

LULU

It was funny how something I once loved to do for free had become such a hassle when having to do it for money. Party planning wasn’t all it was cracked up to be when I had to bring other’s visions to life instead of my own. It was one thing to plan social events and throw lavish parties when I had a charity and theme in mind. When things went awry, which often happened, I would just roll with the punches and think quickly on my feet. I could still do that now, only I was subjected to the vitriol of others when things fell out of plan.

There were many things I could control, and all of those situations had been handled expeditiously. When the first caterer realized he was double-booked, I opted to not pay his astronomical fee and went with an up and coming chef in the area who was able to basically provide everything on the original menu, as well as a few extras. The same thing kind of happened with the entertainment. The singer from the second act had come down with strep throat and was unable to perform. My client had only known about two acts, so he never knew that a third had been brought on just in case.

I had even been able to negotiate a color change when the wrong color orchids were delivered. In this city, word of mouth was almost as important as the dollar, and I had a couple of different florists on standby for situations such as this. I had only needed to call the first name on that list. The orchids were swapped out and no one was the wiser. Everything was going right according to plan, and at the end of this party, I would earn the first actual bit of money since I had married Cade all those years earlier.

“ You don’t need to work, Lulu. I make enough to support us both, and any needs we might have,” Cade had assured me after I’d told him I didn’t want to stop working. Granted, at the time it was more part time in nature, but it was still something he frowned upon, anyway. “It doesn’t look right for my wife to be working.”

I had eventually succumbed to his demands, then spent the rest of the time doing secretarial work for him from home, while raising our children. Needing something to keep me busy, especially after Leslie entered preschool, I had broached the subject of working once more.

“I need to do something. I’m going stir crazy here every day,” I had told him, and my pleas eventually wore him down enough because he finally agreed to let me join the social committee at our country club.

From there, I began to plan and throw the most lavish of events. I had thrown everything from bachelor auctions and bake sales, to silent auctions and holiday galas. I did them all, but none of them combined seemed to be as stressful as this singular one was becoming. Maybe it was because I needed this so badly. If I didn’t find some way to support myself, I would have nowhere to live with my children, and Cade would win custody of them. I would then be at his mercy as to whether I got to see them or not. My only alternative at that point would be to haul him back into court via a lawyer I couldn’t afford.

Since the divorce papers and his lawyer’s threats of taking everything from me, I had been a mere shell of myself. I could see the way others in the community would look at me. Most never really deemed me worthy enough of someone of Cade’s wealth and status, so it was now easier to look at me as scum beneath their designer heels. Invitations to all the bridge games and tea parties I used to attend had since dried up, and I was basically ostracized from high society.

I recognized this for what it was, but there was little I could do about it. Cade had broken our agreement to stay out of the limelight until our divorce was fully finalized because he had recently been photographed at a social event, and with one of his whores on his arm. Rita Berman was a young socialite, and the daughter of a Titan herself. Her father, Art, was a fixture in the Chicago investment scene. Unprepared for him to go back on our verbal agreement, I had to watch him canoodle with her, then later dance. I hadn’t seen him look at me in some time the way he had stared down at her when they were on the dance floor.

“I remember it all,” I’d said, before slamming back another whiskey sour that night.

What Rita, or any of the others, didn’t know was that he used that same ploy to draw them in. I was pretty sure that other than sex with someone younger and more flexible, there had to be something else in this for him. As a Titan, Cade would never be subjected to the same rules of decency that others were, and the double standard was enough to piss me off.

But what can I do?

I already knew the answer, and it was nothing. Cade had shaken up my entire world, yet not having to deal with any of the backlash. Society knew at that point that there was trouble in our paradise, and other potential suitors flocked to him like the vultures they were. Cade still had his title, his generational wealth, and everything those women desired, but not me. I had nothing. As it was, I was living on borrowed time. Before long, I would be forced from the home I shared with my children, and with no means of supporting them, they would be ripped from my arms.

I wouldn’t let him leave me with nothing, no matter what the hell I might have signed when I was wearing rose-colored glasses. There was no way I would let him betray me, then continue to hurt me by taking the only things I had left in this world.

That drive to provide for my children on my own was the reason I had taken this job, and why I had subjected myself to the treatment I had received since agreeing to plan this event. John and Cheryl Waters wanted a party to celebrate their fortieth wedding anniversary, or at least she did. John wanted to make his wife happy, but he also wanted to proposition me with lewd offers and grabby hands. I swear the man had touched me in almost any spot that he could, and even offered to throw in a five-figure tip if I let him go further.

At one point, I had wondered if this was the kind of treatment Cade often experienced, but then I realized he was likely the aggressor. He had a wife at home who adored him, and would let him touch her whenever and wherever, but I hadn’t been enough for him. He wanted variety, and skin more supple, and less wrinkled, as mine had evidently gotten from age. I took different spa vacations over the years, and I used every product known to man, but he still lost his attraction for me. I knew it was on him, and not me, but in a moment of self-doubt, the truth evaded me.

I was tired of sitting up night after night crying over him and what he had done to me. Wine only went so far, as did harder liquor, and none of it helped in the end. I would become even more depressed, then withdraw even more. I couldn’t afford to lose my composure, however, because I knew a custody battle was brewing. Knowing that, I did what anyone else in my shoes would do, which was to use battery-operated toys to take the edge off, and to inject myself back into the working force even if it was for creeps like John Waters.

“The guests will start arriving at seven sharp. I expect everything to be in order by that time,” he had told me earlier when he had stopped in to check the preparations.

The venue I had rented out was in complete disarray at that time, but I had smiled before speaking. “I promise that everything will be to your liking by then.”

He had looked me up and down, his leisurely gaze making me more uncomfortable than anything else, especially when he smacked me on the ass when I turned to get back to work.

“It better be because I don’t want to hear Cheryl complain about anything. She wanted to hire someone more experienced, but I had assured her that you could do the job.”

“And I can,” I had assured him. “I need to get back to things.”

I had then returned to what I was doing before he had arrived, and now, the place was more resembling the plans I had promised the couple. A quick glance down at my watch, and I noticed I had just under an hour and a half left. I was truly about to pull this off, in spite of the earlier mishaps. A smile spread across my face, but it didn’t stay there long.

“Mrs. Davis, there’s a problem.”

I glanced at the caterer, and my heart sank. “Is it the lamb? Or one of the desserts?”

“No, the food is fine for now, but there is a leak near my table.”

“A leak?”

“Yeah, let me show you.”

I followed behind the man, and sure enough, there was water coming in from the ceiling. Chicago was notorious for rain this time of year, so I wasn’t surprised that it was raining. What I was, however, was unsure of what to do. It was a Saturday evening, and most businesses were already closed for the night. I did what I had to and pulled out my phone. It didn’t take long to connect with a few different repairmen who had after-hours listed on their website. I then called all four of them, and the soonest anyone could get there would be in a few hours. By that time, the party would be in full swing.

I looked to the caterer who had no ideas on how to fix this either. This wasn’t his problem, but rather mine. Panic did more than creep up on me. It came racing in and I wobbled slightly on my feet. I needed some fresh air, and a spot where I could think about what to do. More experienced planners would have some sort of plan B in place, but not me. The very first attempt I made to support myself was about to come crashing down around me. I fled to the doors and was surprised to see that the rain had stopped. Unfortunately, the leak inside had not let up when the weather did. The damage had already been done.

“What am I going to do?” I asked out loud once out on the street. Thankfully, there was no one around to hear me talking about myself.

I leaned back against the brick wall, and I had no sooner closed my eyes when I heard a door open. I raised my lashes and realized it was only a couple leaving the gym next door. They didn’t even look in my direction, not that I expected them to. Focusing back on myself, I started to try to control my breathing. My nerves were completely shattered at this point, and nothing I could think of would help.

I heard a chime right after, then a familiar voice. “Lulu?”

I opened my eyes and turned to see Noah Capshaw standing there. He had just left the gym, and the sight of his sweat-soaked shirt and bulging muscles only made my heart rate accelerate.

“What are you doing here?”

“I’m hosting an event tonight, and I needed some fresh air.”

“Is it that bad?—”

“Why would you say that?” I asked, then forced myself to smile.

“Because you look stressed. Also, you’re usually at these things barking orders to others instead of standing outside wishing for the ground to open up underneath you.”

He was far too intuitive, but he was also right. “I’m sorry. I’m having a bit of a freak out at the moment.”

He shifted his gym bag onto his other shoulder, then grinned. “Is there something I can help you with?”

I let out a soft, but sarcastic laugh. “There’s a leak I can’t find anyone to fix before the event, and I can’t host this party with it.”

“Mind if I take a look?”

I threw up my hands. “Be my guest.” I followed him inside, then pointed him in the direction of the still leaky roof.

“Hmmm.” It was all he said at first, before he looked around at everything else I had already set up. He then turned to me. “I think you can salvage this after all.”