54. Isabel
Iwaited on the steps by the front door as George held open the back door of the Navigator. Meg slid from the back seat and stared up at the Belmont Manor mansion, her jaw sweeping the ground.
“Mary, Joseph and tiny baby Jesus in his little hay bed. Now this is one fancy crib,” she muttered. She was wearing a shiny business suit, and a blouse showing off her ample cleavage. A look only Meg could pull off.
I gave her a hug. “Told you. Welcome to Belmont Manor.” I waved at George. “Thanks for bringing Meg, George.”
He smiled. “You’re welcome, Isabel. But since I’m now your full-time driver, my guess is that it includes helping out Meg whenever she needs a ride too. You ladies have yourselves a great day.”
A weekafter Meg got her law license, Roman set up a meeting to go over my contract with Belmont Trust. He told me in not so many words that he had the lawyers draw up a subpar agreement to test Meg’s skills and see if she had the savvy to work for them. Even if I was a little nervous, I was confident that Meg could handle herself. It was the opportunity of a lifetime to work for the Belmont Trust.
As we walked through the house to the south wing, Meg was wholly impressed. “Christ on a bicycle. Imagine living in a place like this. Oh wait, you already do. And who do we have to thank? That would be me.”
I laughed. “You know what will make it really perfect? If you move in here.”
Meg snorted and cast me a side-eye. “Don’t tempt me, I have U-Haul on speed dial. But if they expect me to go halfsies on utilities, they have another thing coming.”
We sauntered into the conference room next to Roman’s office, and Roman immediately stood up and introduced us to his two stodgy-looking lawyers. Meg placed her laptop covered in peace- sign stickers on the table, and alongside it a book called Contract Law for Total Dummies, placing it in full view. The horrified look on the lawyers’ faces told me they were not prepared for someone like Meg.
Roman was less than impressed. “You’re late, Ms. Belfiore, the meeting was supposed to start ten minutes ago.”
Meg plopped down on a chair with a dramatic sigh. “And let me tell you why. I left home without having eaten anything because you have now annexed princess over here, who was gracious enough to cook me breakfast every day. Twenty minutes into the ride George and I had to stop at McDonalds for food because I was starting to see spots. And no, if you’re dying to ask, I didn’t supersize. I’m kinda watching my figure, and by kinda I mean not really. You live one life and then you die, might as well live it well. Know what I mean?”
The lawyers exchanged cautionary looks, as though wondering if this was a joke. Roman had a slight tic in his jaw. And it was all I could do to keep from laughing out loud. But Meg wasn’t done.
“Hey, what do you call a bunch of lawyers at the bottom of the ocean?” she asked, waiting for a response. When she didn’t get one, she shrugged. “A good start.”
This time I laughed. But no one else moved a muscle. Meg shook her head, seemingly crushed. “Tough crowd. But oh well, let me put my bitch face back on.”
Meg was doing everything she could to throw the lawyers off their game, and in all fairness she was succeeding spectacularly. At this point we were all merely spectators, and I was secretly relieved that we had a medical team on the estate because one of the lawyers seemed close to having a heart attack.
Meg opened her laptop, banged on a few keys and without taking her next breath lunged into a spiel. “So the contract I received was clearly a goddamn joke. I don’t know who here is responsible for it, but you need to get your ass back to law school ASAP. I will nevertheless work with what was given to me and render you my version of how this contract will go. Let me start off with the basics. So, Miss Isabel Le Roche, the defendant in this case—no, scrap that, she’s done nothing wrong, my bad… I mean the other party in this agreement, will be traveling to Chicago to do the formal proposal to the head of desserts or something, Mr. Whatshisface. But there’s zero mention of how my client will find her way over to the windy city, and also who would be paying for that. A journey by rail seems unfeasible, and not to be a stick-in-the-mud, but no way do I let her pay her own way. Care to comment? Anyone?”
Roman cleared his throat, and I could see him bite a smile. “Isabel will be taking the private jet.”
Meg grimaced. “Fine. But just for future reference, mention that up front so I don’t sit here and waste everybody’s time with stupid shit. There’s a lot to cover and I’ve barely scraped the surface. Time is money. And by the way, she’ll need her attorney with her at all times, including any and all trips in that private jet… If you’ll give me a minute I’ll just add that to the clause in here.”
At this point the two lawyers required a forklift to pick their jaws up from the floor. Meg however was not fazed. “Now let’s talk payment. I’m not going to lie, when I saw the number in this contract I thought it was a typo. If you can earn this kind of dough baking cookies, count me the fuck in. But egregious nepotism aside, I get it, because Isabel’s pastries will knock your socks off. And that’s all I have to say about the compensation, I’m all in for that number. So, moving on…”
I’d seen enough. Meg could handle herself fine, and I needed to get back to Henry. “If everyone will excuse me, please, I have to go. Meg, please text me when you’re done.”
Roman stood up. “I’ll see you out, Isabel.”
Which earned him a scowl and a raised eyebrow from Meg. “You’re leaving me?” she asked, outraged. “Lemme guess, you’re going to go play house with Isabel while I sit here sweating my balls off trying to get my client the best deal with these two ambulance-chasers staring me down like I’m a two-headed alien that just crashed into their backyard.”
Roman grinned. “Ms. Belfiore, relax. I’ll return soon.”
He put his hand on the small of my back and steered me toward the door.
When we left, Meg’s voice chased our trail as she whispered to the two lawyers. “What’s with the Ms. Belfiore crap. He’s shagging my best friend and we’ve broken bread, not to mention shared a bottle of absinthe… For God’s sake he knows my name is Meg. I certainly hope he hasn’t stabbed any of you in the back like that.”
* * *
Once Romanand I were alone in the hallway, I couldn’t help but laugh. “I think Meg was on to you. She’s not going to let you get away with that contract.”
Roman took my hand and led me down the hallway. “She’ll be a great asset to Belmont Trust. I’ll make sure she gets an offer today”.
When we reached the library he pulled me inside and locked the door behind us. Of course my mind was going only one way and my body started to tingle from the soles of my feet to the ends of my fingertips.
I smiled. “Perhaps I should leave our bed more often before you wake up in the morning.”
He gently pushed me against the wall and swept a lock of hair from my cheek with a wistful look. “Actually I need you to be serious for a moment, my sweet.”
His tone had a tinge of gravity, fraying at the edge. “Is everything okay, Roman? You’re worrying me a little bit.”
In a heartbeat Roman shifted into his usual easy charisma, the picture of eloquence and calm. “Everything is fine. I just wanted to make sure that you’re not going anywhere tonight because you and I are having dinner at the Belmont Hotel.”
“Why go out? I can make us dinner here,” I said. “Then there’s no chance of being thrown in jail when we choose to enjoy dinner in our underwear.”
“Allow me to do the gentlemanly thing and take my girlfriend out on a proper dinner date, please.” His tone permitted no debate.
“Well, if you put it like that. Dinner at the Belmont Hotel would be lovely. Then I can show off all my fancy new manners. Remind me not to order any chicken wings, or amuse bouche unless it’s served on a spoon.”
This drew a soft laugh from Roman. His lips brushed my forehead, and it could have been my imagination but a low hum of tension coursed from his lips to my skin. His gaze traveled over my features like he was appreciating the crown jewels, and when I offered him my mouth he kissed me until I my blood started to burn.
“Roman,” I whispered hoarsely. And he whispered back, “My beautiful Isabel.”
I fumbled with his pants but he gently clamped down on my hands and stepped back.
“Not here. Tonight when I can take my time to show you how much I love you, and make you mine.”
His words tugged at a loose string inside me, unspooling my heart. How did he not know I was already his. And that he was already mine. I smiled into his eyes. “I can’t wait.”
He kissed me on the forehead and started to leave the library. For a split second he stopped at the door and turned back to me. “You know I love you more than anything else in the world.”
To hear him say that. A shiver lathered my insides with warmth. “I love you too, Roman. More than you will ever know.”