Chapter 19
Tyler
The meaty aroma coming from the grill gradually turned to a charred scent of burning meat. It took the grill master, Massimo, to register it until smoke was filling the air. Then he jolted to his feet and rushed to the grill.
“You knew about it?” I turned to her as soon as Massimo was out of earshot.
“No, of course not. But you were losing Massimo, and you said you wanted me to help, right? This is me helping.”
How could she not have known? I couldn't believe her.
Of course she knew, and this was the proof.
Now that her business was on the line, she finally told the truth.
And yet I did not feel the satisfaction I had hoped to feel.
There was still an emptiness within me. An unfilled hole that wanted more.
“What else did he show you? Do you know where the rest of the documents are?”
“Oh, God, Tyler.” She rubbed her temples. “I knew I shouldn’t have said anything.”
“The meat’s fine!” Massimo shouted from the grill.
“Only a piece fell into the fire.” He rubbed his hands on the apron he had put on, removed the apron, and came back to us.
“The meat is fine.” He sat back down on the chaise lounge, only this time, he sat straight, fully facing us. “What were you saying, Saffron?”
“My father blackmailed Tyler into giving him money. The blackmail he created was all doctored documents, made to look real. Those are the documents the newspaper reported on. They’re fake, I can assure you.”
Massimo folded his arms, leaning back. “Why would he do that?”
“He was, uh, he wanted money to save his business. Tyler couldn’t extend it to him, so he resorted to blackmail.
It’s horrible. Tyler and I went through a bad patch because of it, but we’ve healed now.
” She made an effort to rub my thigh. A thrill of electricity ran from the place she rubbed, shooting straight to my hardening member.
I placed my hand above hers to still her and also to make it appear as though I was accepting her gesture.
Massimo rubbed his chin. “Hmm. You have an interesting wife, Tyler.”
“It’s been a rollercoaster ride, but I love her.” I wrapped my hand around her waist, a gesture I should have been repulsed by, but welcomed. “What can I say? We can’t choose our in-laws.”
Massimo hollered. “That is true,” he leaned forward and whispered, “You didn’t hear it from me, but I am glad my in-laws are no longer alive. They were such a headache.”
“I know what you’re talking about,” I said.
“So where’s your father now?” Massimo said to Saffron. “Can’t you talk to him and make him retract all of this? Because it’s hurting your husband.”
“My father died, but we think that he sent the emails to the journalist before he passed. Tyler refused to extend even more money in his final days, so that must have angered my father.” I gave her a surreptitious glance.
Why was she making me out to be the bad guy?
If anything of that nature had happened as she said it did, I would have given him the money.
But she gave me a look that said, ‘You don’t like my saying it, but it was the best explanation I could come up with on the fly. ’
“But he was willing to pay his medical bill and let him leave in comfort,” she added.
Massimo rubbed his chin again. “So, you’re sure it’s all fake?”
“It has to be. I did not do anything they accuse me of,” I cut in. “And like I said, I am suing the paper to ruin. You can take that to the bank.”
“Good. You do that. These papers love spreading lies based on shoddy journalism.” He looked like he was in deep thought, scratching the beard on his neck, and then he said, “You know what, I like you, young man. I’ve told you this before, and I will say it again.”
My heart beat a little faster. I dared to hope. Massimo was difficult to read. He could act as though he agreed with everything you said. He could make you feel as though he liked everything you said only to send you an email the next morning telling you he disagreed.
“I’ll still stick to the deal we agreed to. Don’t worry. You need someone in your corner to fight this. Do you have a good lawyer? I could recommend mine if you want.”
“My lawyer is pretty good at what she does. But my brother also is one. He probably knows the people who would be representing the paper if it ever comes to a court battle.”
“Ah… sometimes I forget the Hawthorne in your Hawthorne and Hawthorne name,” he chuckled as though he had made some funny joke. Saffron joined in, but I knew she was only doing so to flatter him. Massimo excused himself to check on the grill.
I turned to Saffron. She snatched her hand away from my hold as though she burned. Something about that made me self-conscious. If she hated my touch so much, why initiate the contact? I asked her the question.
“I was hemming it up for our audience.”
“You’re a good actress. I almost believed your story.”
She shrugged. “Looks like it worked. I am an asset in your arsenal, admit it.”
“An asset that is also a bomb.”
She shook her head, sneering. “You can’t even thank me, can you?”
“What do you want me to say? Thank you for ruining my life and then slightly making it halfway right?”
She rolled her eyes. “You’re so dramatic.”
“I don’t even understand why you wanted me to thank you in the first place. All of this is your fault.”
She gave me a withering look and got up.
Saffron strode to Massimo, who was still flipping meat on the grill.
She tapped his shoulder. He turned to her in surprise and then chuckled.
Saffron pointed at the meat and said something that made him laugh again.
They had their backs to me, so I couldn’t make out what they were talking about, but watching them so comfortably like this made me want to grab Massimo and throw him off the building.
My body boiled as they continued to be chummy with each other.
Then Saffron picked a piece of meat and dropped it into Massimo’s open mouth.
Does she not know how not to flirt with anything with a cock?
Without meaning to, I got up and went to them. “What are you two chatting about?”
Massimo turned to me with a smile on his face. “Saffron was just telling me how much she likes a good piece of game. Do you hunt, Tyler?”
“What? Uh…”
“I’ve done so a couple of times. I can shoot a pheasant, but nothing bigger, I’m afraid. I am impatient,” Saffron said.
“Don’t undersell yourself! A woman like you, I can tell you can bring down a deer if you can. What about you, Tyler? What’s your favorite animal? Are you a bird guy like your wife?”
There were favorite animals to hunt? “I’m not much of a hunter, I’m afraid.”
Massimo lightly jabbed Saffron in the ribs. “Listen to your husband. Is he being shy, or is that the truth?”
“He doesn’t like it that much.”
“Oh. I hope he likes the meat, because that’s what we’re having today!” They both laughed; this time it felt as though it was at my expense. When did Massimo get into hunting? That wasn’t in my files on him. “I didn’t know you were into shooting sports.”
“I got into it recently. My time in the army made me sour on guns and all that, but then recently a friend of mine—Stratford, I don’t know if you know him—introduced the sport to me, and I gotta say, I love it.”
Stratford. So he’s been spending time with our competitors.
We’d better get this deal signed soon and all the business with the bribes done with, or he will sell the property to them.
Stratford had wanted the property as well and had done all he could to get it, including offering a higher price than us.
Only Massimo wanted it to go to someone he trusted, and Stratford, as good as he was, was too ruthless and would probably sell the property to a private equity firm in a few years at a markup. Massimo didn’t want that.
“You know Stratford is not going to rebuild it the way you want it to. I will put your wishes first, Massimo. And also make sure your name is on the last building.”
“I know, I know. He’s just a friend. So, are you open for a hunt? I want to hunt with both of you.”
“Sure.” Fuck. I’ve never held a gun in my life, much less shot it.
He slapped my back with a greasy hand. “That’s what I want to hear.” He grabbed a towel and cleaned his hands. “Let me go and get Clarita. The meat, ladies and gentlemen, is ready.”
Once we were left alone again, I asked, “You hunt?”
Saffron shook her head. “I was just going along with it. I didn’t think he was going to invite us. I hate hunting.”
I threw my hands up in the air. “I can’t believe this.”
She shrugged. “You can just pull out. Look for an excuse.”
“I can’t do that. My competitors are breathing down my neck. If I give them an inch, they’ll strike. Why did you even lie?”
She winced. “Sorry. I was just trying to be agreeable.”
“Have you ever held a gun?”
She grimaced. “In a photoshoot.” When my eyes widened, she added, “I’ve shot a couple of times, but it’s not my thing.”
“Oh, God. Let’s hope he forgets about it.”
Clarita joined us, as well as a few of the staff, who trailed behind her with silverware.
While they were setting up the table, Massimo was excitedly telling his wife that we would join them on their next hunt.
I glared at Saffron the entire time, who only offered apologetic looks back.
We ate the barbecue, which was paired with what one can best call a foreigner’s assumption of what Americans eat on the Fourth of July.
There were even corn dogs. It was cute, and I complimented Clarita on her cooking again.
She blushed through her wrinkles, making her look younger than her sixty-five years.
After lunch slash early dinner was over, we lounged on the terrace, nursing beers and cocktails.
Massimo was really getting on with Saffron, which both got on my nerves and almost made me a fool by dragging her away from him, only to realize that it was my own irrational thoughts making me feel this way.
Clarita didn’t seem to think they were doing anything untoward.
What was with me and this woman? I didn’t like her, and yet whenever a man found her interesting, I felt like a Neanderthal.
She was driving me crazy. When it was time to leave, Massimo reminded us of the hunt again. Fucking hell. It seemed I was going to have to take some shooting lessons if I wanted to keep him happy.