Chapter 24 #2
“She’ll come around,” I promise her, but I honestly don’t care if she does or not.
Of course, I don’t want to cause a rift between the two of them, but if Saylor can’t see that this is our best option to keep that maniac away from Carley, then that’s her problem.
I know she’s going to miss her friend, but it’s not like they won’t ever see one another again.
“You know, it may not be under the most desirable circumstances, but I’m ridiculously happy that you’ll be under the same roof as me for the foreseeable future.”
Carley giggles and whispers another kiss to my cheek.
“I’ll be back down in a minute.”
As I watch her walk back into the building, I can’t help but feel like everything is coming together. I’ll call Emma sometime this week to try and get that situation under control.
I make a firm, silent promise to Carley that I will come clean tonight, and tell her everything I’ve been too afraid to say.
“Still fucking your staff members, I see. I guess it’s true what they say. That old habits die hard.”
As if Satan took over as the universe’s puppeteer, my blood runs cold when the icy shrill I’ve grown to loathe over the past ten years fills my ears.
Emma.
It takes me a moment to realize I’m not imagining this. She’s here. Emma is in New York City. At Carley’s fucking apartment building.
Fuck.
“You sure do like them young, Dimi. Once a predator, always a predator, I suppose. Is that child whore the reason you won’t return my calls?”
She’s always insisted on calling me Dimi. No one, not even my parents, has ever called me that. She thought she was special, like she gave me an exotic nickname only she was good enough to use.
I fucking abhor it.
But my blood boils more from her referring to Carley as a whore. The last thing I want to do is turn around and acknowledge her presence, but I know she won’t leave without getting to speak with me first.
“What the fuck are you doing here?” I spit through gritted teeth once I’m facing her where she sits in the back of a Town Car.
“Is there somewhere private where we can talk?”
I hate the sexual connotation she uses as she utters the word private. It’s how she used to speak to me when she wanted something and was going to use sex in order to get it from me.
“No. Why are you here?” I refuse to look at her as I question her again.
“You’re not taking my calls. I had to do something to get you to talk to me.”
“I don’t want you here.” This time, I lean down and stare straight into her cold eyes, enunciating each word as it leaves my lips. “Go. Home.”
“I want you back, D.”
“That’s never going to happen,” I laugh in her face.
“We’ll see.” She purses her lips as she looks me up and down. “I’ll expect a phone call from you this week, letting me know when and where you’re taking me for dinner. We have a lot to discuss.”
“I have nothing to say to you.”
“I would hate for your little plaything to find out she’s merely a habit you can’t quit.
She probably thinks she’s special,” she mocks, clicking her tongue.
“Poor girl. If you refuse to meet with me, then I’ll hunt her down and tell her all about your adventures with the slut who screwed you over in Torrance. ”
Red paints my vision as I think about Emma getting anywhere near Carley. I don’t need to tell her that Carley is already well aware of Kati, but that wouldn’t stop Emma from going after her anyway.
“At least she was smart and wasn’t afraid to go after what she wanted.
That one there…” she nods her head toward the doorway Carley walked through only seconds earlier.
She pauses as she thinks about what she is trying to say.
No doubt whatever comes out of her mouth will be vicious and spiteful.
“She seems … simple. Plain. Of no consequence whatsoever.”
I ball my hands into fists and squeeze tightly to keep myself from reacting to Emma. That’s what she wants, and I refuse to let her feel any amount of satisfaction at Carley’s expense.
“Once she realizes she’s no longer unique, hopefully she’ll have enough self-respect to leave you.
Although, how much does she really have to begin with to be sleeping with her boss?
Come to think of it, maybe I won’t even bother with Plain Jane.
She doesn’t seem like much fun to play with anyway.
Maybe I’ll go to your board of trustees and tell them how worried I am about your pattern of destructive behavior.
Maybe I’ll send an anonymous tip to the news outlets that hints toward foul play within Okeanós. The possibilities are endless, D.”
I don’t doubt she would spark a news story and then stand by my side, attempting to play the role of supportive wife while she watches my empire burn. That’s exactly the kind of narcissistic sociopath she is.
I feel frozen. Stuck. Completely worthless and weak, just like I did when we were married. When I don’t respond, she speaks again.
“I expect a call this week, Dimi. Otherwise …” she cocks an eyebrow before winding her window up.
Finally, as her car pulls away from the curb, the fire I felt when I first laid eyes on her returns.
Quickly, I rush inside, pulling my phone from my pocket as I make my way to the elevator.
I pull up my messages and slam my thumbs down on the screen, frantically typing out a message to Ez and Eliana.
If there’s anyone in the world who can give me the advice I need right now, it’s them.
Me
911!
Ezra Treuth
What’s up, man?
Me
Are you home right now? I really need to talk to you.
Eliana Treuth
What’s wrong? Are you okay?
Me
Yes and no. I’ll explain it to you when I get there. I need a few minutes to finish getting Carley’s things loaded into the car. After that I’ll come over.
Ezra Treuth
Okay, see you soon.
Pocketing my phone once again, I exit the elevator and walk toward the girls’ apartment. I overhear them talking once I step inside and close the door. Their conversation is like a complete one-eighty to the one I just had with Emma.
“… just never felt this way before. Say, I’m falling in love with him.”
My heart stops for the second time in five minutes. This time, though, I welcome it. Hearing Carley say she’s falling in love with me stokes a different fire within. I hear some sniffling coming from the kitchen, but I don’t know which girl it’s coming from. Perhaps both.
“I really am happy for you. You know that, right?”
“Of course, I do,” Carley reassures a sobbing Saylor.
“I’m glad you have D, Carley,” Ren adds. “He seems like a decent guy. But make sure you’re not falling for him for the wrong reasons. It’s natural to develop feelings for someone who is protecting you. Especially when you’re as vulnerable as you are right now.”
“Ren, what the fuck?” Saylor questions, and I wholeheartedly agree with her.
“I don’t mean to sound like a dick. All I’m saying is, make sure your feelings are genuine. Are they based on actual affection, or are they rooted in your fear of Blaine?”
Jesus. Thanks a lot, Ren.
But what if he’s right? What if Carley only feels like this because she’s scared? I can’t think about that right now. One crisis at a time.
“Uhh … okay, Dr. Phil,” Saylor jumps in again. “No more daytime TV for you.”
I walk back to the front door and open it as quietly as I can before shutting it a little louder than I did before. Casually, I walk into the kitchen, pretending like I wasn’t just eavesdropping.
“How’s everything going up here?” I ask, staring pointedly at Ren for a little longer than necessary. “All right, Say?”
She nods her head as she wipes a tear from her cheek.
“You just make sure you take care of her, or else we’re going to have a problem, got it?”
“I would lay my life down for her.”
My eyes latch onto Carley’s as I say the words, and I can see the love in them. She does love me, and as I gaze deeper into her eyes as blue as the sea, I know it doesn’t have anything to do with her fear.
I can feel it.
“We better go. I need to stop by the office on the way home, but I’m going to have Izaak take you straight to the penthouse.”
“On a Saturday? I’ll come with you,” Carley insists.
“How about this,” I lay a kiss on her lips before continuing. “You go get started unpacking. Colin will help you bring your things upstairs. When I’m finished doing what I need to do, I’ll have Izaak come get me and grab takeout on the way home—drunken noodles and pho, perhaps.”
Her eyes dilate when I mention which food I’ll be bringing home. And I know she’s picturing the events that occurred the last time we had this meal at the penthouse. I feel bad using the promise of good food and even better sex to manipulate her, but I need her to change her mind.
“O—okay,” she breathes.
“Clearly we’ve missed something here,” Saylor interrupts, pulling Carley from her lust-filled reverie. “Promise me we can all have dinner again soon.”
“Promise,” Carley agrees.
“Saylor,” I nod then turn to Ren and hold my hand out. “Ren.”
With a firm shake, we finish our goodbyes and are out the door. When Carley is settled into the back of the limo, I walk to the driver’s door with Izaak.
“Keep an eye out for a blacked-out Lincoln Continental following you.”
“That’s the majority of the cars in the city, other than cabs.”
“I know, but maybe take a different route home than you normally do. If you notice you’re being followed, do not go to the penthouse until you lose them. Got it?”
“Yes, sir. Anything I need to be worried about?”
I look him dead in the eye. “Emma is here.”
“Understood.”
“Thanks, Izaak.”
Once the limo is out of sight, I hail a taxi. As I’m entering the back seat, I feel my phone vibrate. Pulling it from my pocket, I see I have a text message from Emma.
Emma
One week, Dimi. I’m not playing around.
Without responding to her, I pull up my message with Ez and Eliana.
Me
Emma is in the city. I’m on my way.