Chapter 21
21
J AMES
“He didn’t want to budge,” I say, cold as ice.
“Are you fucking kidding me?”
Lex’s voice drifts through the air as he walks in.
I slam the office door closed, head to my desk, and lean against it, my arms folded on my chest.
He slides into a chair in front of me.
“What did he say?” he asks.
“He invited me to send the recording to his wife. He didn’t give a fuck about the compromising information.”
He looks at me, puzzled.
“Are you fucking serious?”
I nod.
“Does he know about Rain and you?”
“No. He was agreeable to me in the beginning. He recognized my name but had no fucking idea who I was until we started to talk. I charmed him at first, but it was useless. I tried to sell him on the idea. He didn’t buy it. And then I had no choice but to use what I had on him.”
“Maybe he thought you were bluffing.”
“He’d been involved with three different women. He didn’t deny any of it. He just didn’t care.”
I tilt my head back, clasp my hands behind my neck and stare blankly at the ceiling.
“It’s done. That’s all there is. Other than killing someone tonight, there’s nothing I can do about it,” I joke darkly. “We’ll find out tomorrow,” I say, patting my pocket for my cigarettes.
“He might turn other people against you.”
“He might, but I can’t control any of that shit. If it fails, it fails. We’ll have to find a different piece of land. One that’s zoned commercial.”
“That will be way over our budget.”
My phone buzzes.
I snatch it from the desk and glance at it. Tension sets in my jaw.
I toss my phone at Lex.
“You care to take this?”
He glances at the screen and moves his finger across before bringing my phone to his ear.
“Hi, Rain,” he says, his eyes locked with mine. “Yeah... Mm-hmm. He’s not available right now. What do you want me to tell him? Okay… All right, then.”
He drops my phone on the desk.
“She needs to talk to you. It’s important.”
I roll my eyes, pick up my jacket and phone, and head to the door.
“Where are you going?”
“Silver. Do you want to come?”
“What about...?” he asks, motioning to my phone.
“I’ve had enough drama today. No more.”
Forty minutes later, we park our car in front of a building carved in dark glass.
The owner of the club, a friend of mine, greets us with a smile. We shake hands before he shows us to a private room.
As we stroll past the stage, he motions to a couple of dancers.
“They’re new...” he says, winking at me.
We enter a room resembling an alcove with an oversized couch tucked against the wall and drinks waiting on the table.
“It’s good to see you, James,” my friend says before pulling away.
I crash onto the sofa.
The first gulp of the alcohol burns the back of my throat. I empty the second glass, and it finally hits my blood.
By the time I finish the third drink, I relax.
Lex is still fussing with his second drink.
“I think I got ahead of myself,” I say, and he looks at me but doesn’t say a thing. “I don’t like when I can’t keep things under control, especially with women... It’s not like I want to control her. Trust me. I don’t. But I can’t have that kind of shit in my life. I don’t like to complicate things. I don’t like drama. She caught me in her little family crisis. They’re no better than the others, yet I’m supposed to feel bad because I have money and live the way I do. I tried to talk some sense into her. I told her I could help her if she needed a place to stay or money. She refused my help. She needs to grow up and figure this shit out for herself.”
“She’ll learn.”
“Maybe. I’m not so sure,” I say, anger threading through my voice.
“She’s only a kid,” he says conciliatory.
That does nothing for me.
I take another sip.
“I guess it was fun while it lasted,” I say, my eyes drawn to the door as two dancers enter the room.
“Blonde or brunette?” I murmur, my eyes taking in their naked bodies, very little fabric on their crotches.
Cute faces.
And now I know why the owner winked at us. Lex gives them a swift once over.
“Which one? We’ll swap anyway.”
“Brunette,” he says.
“Fine by me,” I mutter as I motion to the blonde.
Smiling, she straddles me, sways her hips in sync with the music, and rubs her crotch against my groin before slipping her fingers inside my shirt.
* * *
JAMES
The buzzing swirls around my brain like an obnoxious fly.
It stops before it starts again.
A different ringtone.
This must be Lex’s phone.
I crack an eye open, the headache only worsening.
“What the fuck?” I groan.
Not far from me, Lex snores softly, his face buried in a pillow.
The memory of last night comes back to me.
It wasn’t bad at all if it wasn’t for this stupid headache that’s been pounding my brain.
Butt-naked, I swagger to the chair and look for my pants.
Remotely, I inspect my surroundings. We were sober enough to check into a hotel, and that’s good... I guess.
I fish out both our phones and check mine first. Twenty missed calls. A few are from Rain, and the rest are from Ed.
He called both of us, and most of his calls arrived within the last hour. I glance at the time.
It’s two in the afternoon, and the city council meeting must be over by now.
Yeah... I’m in no hurry to find out the voting results.
Rain sent me a few text messages. They sound desperate.
One catches my eye.
Rain: I may need to leave for New York before the end of the week.
Right.
I stroll to the bathroom.
Thirty minutes later, I walk out, a towel wrapped around my waist, the crappy mood still with me, my mind clear, though.
Naked, Lex is hunched over his phone.
“Are you sure?” he asks the person he’s on the phone with.
Ed’s scream rolls in my ears.
“Yes.”
Lex turns to me, his eyes brighter than the sky.
“We got it, James.”
“We what?”
“They approved the proposal with three more votes than we counted on. Sheryl was one of them, and two others, who were on the fence.”
My hands slip to my hips, my lips curling into a slow smile.
“I’ll be damned.”
Lex snakes his arm around my shoulders, pulling me into a hug.
We start laughing.
“I can’t fucking believe it. The biggest commercial Casino in the state,” he says.
I can’t stop smiling before I look down.
“Go get dressed, for fuck’s sake,” I say, tearing away from him, chuckling, and he rushes to the shower.
* * *
RAIN
I call him again and again. No answer.
It’s getting ridiculous. It’s almost five in the afternoon, and my mind spins frantically, trying to find a reasonable explanation.
There’s little chance I can find him at Red’s. It’s too early.
Besides, he’s rarely there during the week. Maybe he’s on a business trip, or maybe I’m just a fool.
I slip into a pair of jeans and throw a T-shirt on before walking out the door.
I’ll try his office. Hopefully, I’ll find someone there.
Without too many options left, I slip into my car, and minutes later, I roll into the covered parking lot of a tall building made of steel, glass, and concrete.
Before long, I stride across the lobby and enter a vast reception area.
The receptionist, an older lady with piercing eyes and stiff hair, nips my hope in the bud.
“He hasn’t been in the building all day, and we don’t expect him to stop by today,” she says, glancing at the wall clock.
It’s almost six o’clock.
I saunter back to my car, torn and filled with angst.
Something doesn’t feel right.
Sunk in thought, I walk across the parking lot when a black Bugatti pulls in.
My heart pounds like an iron fist as I recognize his ride.
The car comes to a complete stop when the profile of a woman flashes on the passenger side.
My mouth falls open, my knees softening.
Shaking, I hide behind a concrete column and peer at her.
The doors slide open, and a young blonde pushes her heels-clad legs out of his ride before rising to her feet.
My heart stops for a second.
She wears a tailored dress, a designer bag, and matching shoes. She looks at him as he climbs out of the car.
They’re both in a great mood, sharing a peal of laughter.
I step out of my hiding place.
Her expression changes swiftly as I catch her eye.
I read curiosity––and perhaps pity––in her eyes.
She seems taken aback by the emotions on my face while I’m still standing in the middle of the parking lot, staring at her, dumbstruck, as the world I used to know comes to an end.
He follows her gaze until his eyes meet mine, and his expression shifts as well.
He motions her to the building. She scurries away and vanishes into the elevator.
Breathlessly, I wait for him to look at me, so I can read his face.
He turns to me, and I see it in his eyes.
Something is painfully different about him.
His shirt is undone at the neckline, and he has dark circles under his eyes.
He looks like he didn’t sleep at home last night.
Dark, dirty lust lingers in his hooded eyes, permeating his moves––how he walks.
The gaze he gives me is no longer trustful.
At once, I spin around and dash to my car.
“Rain?” he barks, rushing to catch me.
I sprint away.
He runs after me and grabs me just as I’m about to enter my car.
“What are you doing here?” he asks, pissed.
Oh, my God.
I can’t believe him.
He’s angry with me?
“Get your hands off me,” I growl, sinking my fists into his chest. “It doesn’t matter why I’m here. I’m leaving now.”
He shuts the door and blocks my access to my car before grabbing my chin and forcing me to look at him.
The sunset rolls over his shoulders, the golden circle of light peering at us from behind a concrete column.
Pain floods my heart as I take in his face, his features still mesmerizing despite the fury seething in his eyes.
“What happened, James? I called you last night and then today… The entire day. What the fuck is this?”
“I was busy,” he says.
Bile crawls up my throat as I realize he’s lying.
“Busy doing what?”
“Business,” he says, his eyes giving me nothing. It’s like I’m talking to a stranger. “Are you going to tell me what you wanted to talk about?”
“Not before you tell me who the hell was the blonde who stepped out of your car.”
“She’s my lawyer.”
“You must be shitting me,” I say, choking with anger.
“I’m not.”
“Are you two...?
His eyes narrow at me, dark, unwilling to give me the slightest shred of hope or truth.
“Are you fucking her?”
His eyes slip away from mine for a second, giving me the answer.
“What do you want to hear, Rain?”
“The truth,” I shout, realizing how useless this is.
“I used to before she became my lawyer. She’s married now. Does that make you feel any better?”
“No,” I say and bite my lip to stop the quivering of my chin. “What about last night? Where were you?”
“At Silver with Lex.”
“What’s Silver?”
“A striptease club.”
The blood draws out of my body.
He looks at me intently, gauging my reaction. As hard as it is to swallow the news, it’s better to hear this than another lie.
“You wanted the truth,” he says.
“What were you doing there?”
“We drank and got a couple of lap dances before we checked into a hotel. Are you going to tell me now?” he asks, growing impatient.
“I’m moving to New York.”
“You what??”
He looks at me, perplexed.
The light dies out in his eyes, and for the first time ever, I see his raw, unguarded emotions rolling over his face.
“I leave at the end of the week. I have a job lined up and a new place. I rented a room in someone’s apartment. It’s not much, but it’s a start.”
His lips part in disbelief, his eyes narrowing with surprise, darker than a stormy sky.
He blinks a few times, unable to pull his guard back up.
He looks at me as if I've given him an unexpected blow, struggling to understand.
It only lasts a few moments before he straightens his back, his fingers sliding through his hair, a sad smile frosted on his lips, a pained expression claiming his face.
“How long have you been planning this?”
His voice sounds cold and hurt.
“I wanted to tell you, James.”
He looks away, shaking his head, a bitter smile tugging at his lips.
“I didn’t want it to happen this way, but I can no longer live with my parents. And I can’t live with you either. I have no other choice, James,” I hastily say.
His eyes cut back at me, drilling me fiercely.
“You have no other choice??” he thunders, the hair bristling on the back of my neck. “Are you fucking kidding me? Has it ever crossed your mind to talk to me?”
“I called you several times.”
“You called me?” he snaps. “You’ve already made up your mind. What about asking me?” he shouts, gripping my arm harshly, his eyes bleeding with anger.
Deeply hurt, he searches my eyes, disappointment quickly setting on his face. Seemingly, he can’t find what he’s looking for, so he pulls back.
His eyes turn cold, frosting into two pools of darkness.
“You know what? Go. Just fucking go,” he barks, his voice slicing through me like a sword, ripping me apart.
Without another word, he turns around and walks away.
“James?”
My desperate call falls flat into the loneliness surrounding me as he vanishes into the building.