Chapter 14 Violet
Chapter Fourteen
VIOLET
I’m loving my life. The internship is everything I could ask for, and it’s really shaping my ideas for my future career, helping me hone them.
Everyone’s wonderful and helpful and welcoming. My only dark spot is I haven’t learned a thing about Gianna. Earlier in the week, I asked about Joseph Walsh’s family but everyone glossed over it.
And I couldn’t push.
I couldn’t be seen as someone trying to get information or gossiping, so I asked about everyone else’s family, too. They asked me, and I told them the truth, how I’d been alone for years, but it had just given me drive to achieve all my goals.
I also waxed lyrical about the internship, which wasn’t hard to do.
The truth like that is never hard.
The internship here is a complete one eighty to the one with Isaac. The people there weren’t the problem, he was.
It’s not just the sexual harassment, though. Isaac wasn’t supportive. He was the personification of greed and entitlement. He overlooked me when he could and worked me on the wrong ends of things, turning me into his glorified secretary, emphasis on the glorified.
Chief of Staff is sort of like being a personal assistant. But one with superpowers, and I so want those.
Joseph’s staff bolsters me, but I never before got how wonderful it was to have someone who supported me, who believed in me.
Who didn’t have a sordid agenda.
And Joseph doesn’t. He’s great to work for, and I’m learning so much. He’s not interested in me or any of the others on the staff except as people, and it’s freeing.
I hope, when all this is over and we find Gianna, I can work for him more. I’d like to stay with him during my PhD.
I take a breath. tempering myself.
One step at a time.
And in that, it doesn’t matter how great Joseph is, how great his staff is, either. Because no one’s talking about Gianna.
In fact, even when I had drinks, no one spoke much about him other than how he’s happily married and a great politician.
That’s all anyone says.
Then again, nothing is ever done quickly. It takes time, perseverance.
Which I have.
But I’m sickeningly aware, that Gianna might not have the same time I do.
And I wonder if that’s why Cade only tells me he’s working on it and then distracts me.
With sex.
I love everything with Cade, right up to and including sex. He’s working hard on the Gianna thing, getting nowhere as far as I can tell. And since he’s doing that for me and working his own job, I don’t get to see him.
Much.
But the sex…. Oh, boy, the sex…
I wiggle a little on my chair at work, trying not to think about it and failing miserably, the zippy little sparks of awareness and arousal that speed through me make me glad I’m wearing black because he’s got the ability to make me get wet just thinking about him.
Last night, he woke me as he tied my hands, giving a tug to wake me. I was blindfolded, bound and, oh, god, the things he did.
The way he—
“You must be Violet,” a woman says, interrupting my thoughts and enveloping me in a delicate and rich scent of magnolias and soft woods and spice, a delicate balance that whispers class.
I look up from my computer.
The woman is beautifully dressed, and her blond hair is piled on her head in a sophisticated bun. Her make up is perfection as are her nails in a pale pink.
The jewels aren’t over the top, but they’ve got to be worth an understated fortune.
And her smile is bright and friendly, making me instantly warm to her.
“I am.”
She shakes my hand. “I’m Cassandra, Joseph’s wife.”
I glance at his empty office. “Oh, god, I’m sorry. He’s in a meeting uptown—”
“He’ll be in meetings all day, I know that.” She waves a hand through the air.
She sets her Birkin bag on my desk, and I want to stroke the black leather so badly.
I’m not one to drool over bags and those kinds of trappings, but it’s a Birkin and even I know what kind of Queen statement having one of those is. I could probably pay rent for a year on that bag alone.
She’s using it but, to my untrained eye, it looks pristine.
And she opens it, pulling out a compact to check her reflection. She eyes me as she slides it back in. “I’m not overly vain, but I did just steal a cookie…”
She reaches down and picks up a big bag that she pulls out a Tupperware container from and offers me one.
The divine scent of chocolate and brown sugar fills my senses. I take one, putting it on a napkin that came with the morning coffee. “Thank you.”
“I made them for Joseph, freshly baked, from scratch. Enjoy yours and make sure he gets them. It’ll probably be the only food he’ll eat before he gets home at whatever hour tonight.
Some of those dinner meetings mean no food’s eaten, so I like to make sure.
And he’ll think I’m fussing if I leave a sandwich. ”
I laugh. “This way, he’ll just feel special.”
She nods, her grin widening. “Yes, exactly. I knew I liked you.”
Cassandra leaves the cookies with me and another small packet which, when I lift it, smells like cookies too.
She goes around the office, chatting to everyone and leaving them all a small packet of her cookies, too.
I like Cassandra. She’s warm and real in ways so many of these people aren’t. I think Joseph should use her for publicity. But I hesitate, rethinking it.
If Joseph wanted to, he would. Because this woman is an asset. But then again, would I want to constantly drag my family into the limelight? Especially after Gianna’s disappearance?
No, I wouldn’t.
But the fact I like this woman makes me even more determined to find Gianna. My heart hurts for her. I can’t even begin to imagine what she must have gone through when her child went missing. Like having a limb ripped off is all I can imagine. Like missing a vital part of her.
And the not knowing if her daughter’s okay or hurt or…or dead must be horrible. A terrible stasis where there isn’t any closure, and it’s not fair.
It’s even worse when I know Gianna’s alive. I spoke to her.
The urge to rush to her and tell Cassandra everything pulls at me, and it takes everything I am to sit here, silent, keeping what I know to myself.
But I busy myself until she leaves, and then I slide the cookies into my drawer on my desk and go to the bathroom, taking a few minutes to recenter myself.
“It’s for the greater good,” I whisper to my reflection.
And it is. I know it. Me keeping meeting Gianna to myself is terrible, but it’s worse if I blabbed to Cassandra and got her hopes up only to have them dashed if we can’t find her.
I close my eyes.
If Cade can’t.
But it’s Cade.
I have faith in him.
He can do anything.
I open my eyes and brush my fingers over my hair, tucking in the stray strands.
A part of me almost laughs because there’s nothing I could do to ever begin to look as perfectly put together as Cassandra. I think it might be impossible.
With that, I go back out and get back to work.
It’s almost five-thirty when Joseph and his Chief of Staff along with a few others come in. I know there are more meetings, but I guess he likes to touch base when he can.
Going into his office, H spends the next twenty minutes on the phone and answering emails. Finally, he sits back, and I open the drawer and get the cookies.
I head over, knocking on the wall.
He looks over and smiles, his gaze lighting on the Tupperware. “I see my wife’s been here.”
“She’s lovely. I liked her a lot.”
“Everyone likes Cassandra. I joke she’s the one who should have gone into politics.” He motions me in. “It’s only a half joke. She’d be running the country by now, and I’d be…what’s the word?”
“First man? First Husband?”
“Obsolete,” he says, smiling. Then it fades, but the warmth remains. “Sit, please. I only have a few minutes.”
For a moment, a twitch of hesitation hits me. Because I remember what happened with Isaac.
But Joseph’s as far from Isaac as anyone can be, so I do. I slide the Tupperware on his desk.
He reaches for it and offers me one, before taking a bite of the one he selected.
I shake my head. “Thank you, but Cassandra gave me three cookies.”
“Three? Everyone always gets two.”
Heat hits my cheeks. “She offered me one just like you did. But those are yours, Sir.”
“Joseph,” he mutters.
“Joseph.”
He takes another bite. “Tell me, Violet. How do you like working here?”
“I love it. I think I’d like to be Chief of Staff somewhere when I finish my PhD…which I’m doing next.”
“Someone might poach you. I only hear good things.”
The heat burns hotter. “I think I could do both.” I bite my lip, realizing how it sounds. “I wouldn’t be anywhere like in the position of Chief of Staff, which is why I want the proper education and the best internships I can get.”
“Good. Do you think this one is good?”
“Absolutely. I’m learning so much. Everyone’s so nice and helpful. Thank you for the opportunity.”
He checks his watch as he grins and gets up. “Nonsense. No thanks are necessary. You’ve proved yourself more than capable of fulfilling the role. You might be the best intern I’ve ever had.”
The heat changes to a glow of pride, and I want to hug myself, hug him, hug everyone here. “Your words mean a lot. Thank you.”
“Thank you.” He puts the cookies into his satchel and then he gets his coat. “Go home, I’ve got another two meetings, so everyone else here gets to go home.”
I say goodbye and head for the door.
Me: Coming home now.
Cade: Working dinner with Enzo tonight.
Me: About Gianna?
Cade: Yes and other things. I’ll be home when I can.
With a sigh, I tuck my phone away, and I walk back to Cade’s.
It takes me about half an hour, but I enjoy the walk. Hell, I’m even fine with the man I know is following me, keeping an eye on me for Cade. He doesn’t really hide himself and when I waved at him on leaving the office, he scowled.
When I reach Cade’s, my personal guard stands over the other side of the street but when I’m in the loft, I peek out the window, and he’s gone.
Or it’s more likely I just can’t see him.
My phone rings, distracting me.
It’s Lia, and guilt hits.
I answer.
“Lia! I feel horrible that we haven’t met up in over a week.”
“Ugh. Don’t worry, I’ve been so busy myself. But we’re young and pretty so we can’t just work all the time, Vi.”
I giggle at her drama. “However will we fix this?”
Now she laughs. “It’s too late in the week to buy us a shirtless buff dude to stare at, so why don’t we just meet up tomorrow for coffee, shopping, and maybe some wine at the end of it?”
“That sounds like perfection.” I miss that kind of mindless fun.
We make plans and hang up.
But I don’t want to be alone right now. I almost call Lia and suggest pizza and wine and silly teen romantic dramas. I don’t, though, because though we love that, I want more.
I want Cade.
I need Cade.
I text him, but there’s no response.
When he fails to text me back, I make a few calls.
He doesn’t pick those up, either, and guilt bites me hard. He’s been working so hard for me, trying to find Gianna, that he needs some time off. But all I’ve done is push.
Not tonight.
I start to smile. I know he’s got cameras in here, but I don’t think he’s watching or he’d have gotten back to me.
We need some play time. And not middle of the night play time, either.
I decide to fan the flames between us.
Checking the location on the tracker app, I see he’s at a restaurant.
So, he’s still at dinner with Enzo.
Perfect.
I strip off and pull on thigh high stockings and pretty heels, and then I button up a spring overcoat I have. It’s very light and done up it’s like a dress.
This time, I order an Uber and slide in carefully. After all, I’m naked under the coat.
Everything about this plan makes both my heart and my clit throb.
I feel sexy and dirty and naughty, all at once.
My plan is simple.
Walk into the restaurant and steal Cade away for dessert.
There’s nothing like some hot semipublic foreplay to keep our relationship fresh and exciting…