9. Chapter 8
Chapter 8
Griffin
Not like I didn’t know where tonight was going when we began, but here we are. As I expected, Kaitlyn didn’t want to leave Katarina completely alone when she announced she was going back with Tobias to his room. So having this beautiful woman waiting for her friend in my room was the best available option.
The ride back must have sobered her up a little, because she keeps rubbing her hand up and down her arm. I’ve watched her do it since we walked through the lobby. I’m not certain if it’s a nervous habit, if she’s cold, or both. I quietly say her name. “Kaitlyn?”
“Hmmm?”
“Are you cold or afraid of being totally alone with me?”
“Would you hate me if I said both?”
I hold the door of my suite open so she can pass in front of me. “I think I’d find myself hard pressed to hate you.”
“It’s not about you. Well, it is and it isn’t. I don’t want you to get the wrong idea. Kat and Tobias are grown. They can do what they want. The whole on the first date thing is just not for me.”
My hand presses against the light switch, slowly drawing the dimmer up. “Kaitlyn, I wouldn’t ask you to do anything you weren’t consenting to. I have a robe on the back of my bathroom door. Would you like that to wrap around you?”
She nods. “Yes. Thank you.” She strides over and pulls the plush, white robe from the bathroom door and wraps it around her shoulders.
“Would you like something to drink? Eat? I’m sure we can call down for something, if so.”
She shakes her head, “No to the food, but I’d love some water, if you have any.”
“Water. Coming right up.” I cross the room to retrieve a cold bottle from the mini fridge near the small bar area. “Here you are.”
She takes it and cracks it open, gulping down nearly half of it before taking another breath. She wipes her lips with the back of her hand then smiles. “Sorry. The drinks gave me a very dry throat.”
A low chuckle escapes my lips before I loosen my tie. “Mind if I ditch the coat, vest, and tie? I can only be buttoned up for so long.”
“Of course. This is your home. You don’t need my permission.”
“The remote for the fireplace is on the table in front of you. Feel free.”
While I’m hanging my things up in the bedroom closet, I hear the distinct thud of two women’s heels on the marble floor. That’s a good sign. She’s starting to relax. I want her to be comfortable because, if I’m honest, I know my mate. He’s going to want to have Katarina to himself all night. I don’t want to frighten Kaitlyn with the knowledge that, yes, she indeed may be sleeping here.
I return to the lounge room to find her tucked up in the oversized chair next to the fireplace. The amber flames give her skin a glow that enhances every ounce of her beauty. “Well, you look comfortable, and dare I say, warmer.”
“This chair looked so cozy. I couldn’t say no to it.”
“Was it beckoning you?”
“I am nothing if not a beck-and-call girl for comfy things.”
I chuckle. “Mind if I join you?” I ask, pointing to the other chair just on the other side of the room.
“Not at all.”
I carefully pull the chair over so it’s facing her just slightly, but still giving her enough space to feel comfortable.
“So,” I start, bringing one leg up to rest my ankle on the opposite knee. “Virginia is home, you said?”
“Mmmhmm. Has been for my entire life. I mean, until now, I guess.”
“I’ve never been. Tell me about it. If I went with you there, what would you show me?”
Kaitlyn nearly bursts out laughing. The adorable noise she makes holding it in is endearing. “I don’t know if I could see you in Virginia.”
“Why would you say that?”
“Well, I grew up on a hobby farm. I shouldn’t make assumptions, but I don’t think you’re the hay-feeding, shit-shoveling, cow-milking kind of guy.”
I lean forward, resting my elbows on my knees. “I don’t know, Kaitlyn. I feel like, with the right teacher, anyone can do anything.”
“Do you ride…horses, I mean?”
“As a matter of fact, I do. My horse’s name is Rocket. Totally not picked because she’s fast. If that was the case, Turtle would have been more appropriate. She’s just a great horse to ride. I like to get lost on the trails. Apples and sunsets are our favorite things.”
“You’re kidding?” she says with wide eyes. “My horse is named Rocket too! Wow, what are the chances?”
“I’ve come to learn the world is very small and things that seem impossible aren’t so, most of the time.” I watch her as she glances over to look at the flames. “Tell me about your Rocket.”
“He’s an American quarter horse, and he’s the most loving, incredible creature I’ve ever met.” She digs around in her bag and fishes out her phone before flipping it around to show me a picture of a large, dark-brown horse. She’s on his back smiling from ear to ear.
“He’s gorgeous. My Rocket is an Arabian. She’s getting older and doesn’t like to be taken out as much now, but she’s the best.” I bring out my own phone to show her.
“Oh my God, Griffin, look at her face. I love her already. Where is she right now?”
“She’s boarded near my mother’s home. When I travel abroad, she goes to groom her and give her treats. I want to make sure she’s got the proper affection when I can’t be there.”
Kaitlyn pulls her feet tighter underneath her. “I want to ask a question, but I don’t want you to feel like you have to answer it if it’s too complicated.”
“You’re just fine. I don’t have anything to hide from you.”
“How long have your parents been separated? You told me about your brother. Was it before or after his passing?”
“They separated when my brother was at university, and I think I was in year ten. We lived under no illusions that my parents were happy. I honestly felt relief when they divorced.” I don’t know if I’ve admitted that to anyone outside a therapy room.
“I can see how that might be. I get the feeling you don’t really get along with your father. Is that right?”
“Yes. How did you come to that conclusion?”
“I don’t know. I just pay attention. I need to do that in both of my jobs. Reading the room should be a major in college. So many people suck at it.” She smiles.
Utter sunshine.
“You don’t lie, do you?” I ask.
“No. I don’t have to. Well, okay, I lie to my boss to keep him at arm’s length”
I feel a spike of anger radiate through my body. “What does that mean?” Before she can answer, my cell phone begins vibrating on the table next to me. I know it’s not Tobias. It can only be one of two things, my mother whilst drinking her morning coffee, or my father, unable to take a day off. “Please give me one second.”
When I look at my phone, my shoulders drop. Unfortunately, it’s not my mother and her coffee. It’s far worse.
I contemplate not answering it, but I know that would only create more friction and more aggravation… so ultimately, I need to answer it to do right by my brother.
“Hello?” I say, pressing the phone to my ear.
“I knew you couldn’t resist,” my father replies. His tone is positively dripping with disdain.
“Hello, Father. I’m certain I have no idea what you’re talking about.” I glance over at Kaitlyn as she frowns just for a moment then tries to give me a reassuring grin.
“Was she someone you met out while carousing with Tobias, or is she simply a local harlot you’re passing time with?”
I leap from my chair with his vile words still ringing in my ears. “What did you say?”
“I thought I was speaking quite clearly. The cheeky blonde in the scandalously short black dress. There were several pictures of you and your outing last night in the publications over here this morning. Interesting how fast the data and your cock travel.”
I’m absolutely seething. I wouldn’t be surprised if there are beads of sweat running across my temples. “You know nothing. Those shit rags never get a damn thing accurate. Please tell me you’re calling about more than some pieces of water cooler gossip.”
Kaitlyn’s back straightens as her shoulders and her brows furrow.
“Pictures don’t lie, boy. I saw you out with some American bimbo. That blond girl. You couldn’t help yourself. I tell you to settle down. I warn you it’s the only way you’ll ever amount to anything in this company, but look at you.”
I don’t know why the next phrase leaves my mouth. My mind and body aren’t working together at this point, and the most reckless thing I’ve ever said comes out. With one phrase, I pull this beautiful, uncomplicated woman into my bullshit.
“Actually, she’s my girlfriend, Father, and you’d do well to never speak about her that way again.”
The laugh coming through the other end of the phone is enough to make me want to leap through the line and slap it out of his mouth. “Do you even know what that word means?”
“I absolutely do. In fact, I’m able to treat women infinitely better, in spite of the model I’ve been provided.”
“Well, well. I hope she’s never privy to your temper.”
“She could never do anything to deserve it. Now if you’re quite finished, I’d like to leave this call.”
“Let’s hope this one sticks. If not, you know the consequences. Good night, Griffin.”
The grip around my phone is so tight I’m surprised it doesn’t crack into a million pieces. My right hand slides over my mouth as I breathe deeply in and out, knowing I have more than a little explaining to do.
“Griffin, are you okay?”
I inhale sharply and open my eyes to find Kaitlyn now standing one pace closer to me than she was before.
“I’m sorry you had to hear that.”
“It’s okay, um… that sounded intense and a little confusing, if I’m honest.” She crosses her arms over her chest. “You have a girlfriend?”
I look up at her and shake my head. “No, no, I don’t have a girlfriend, but I need to explain what just happened, and I should start by apologizing again. It’s incredibly complicated, but in the heat of the moment, I told my father you were my girlfriend.”
She blinks a few times, but doesn’t say anything, not at first, but then she opens her mouth, like she’s trying to formulate a thought. “I… what? I don’t understand. Why would you say that?”
“Please, will you sit? Like I said, it’s a lot to explain.”
“No, I want to stand. I’m going to stand.”
I sigh heavily and sit back in my chair. “If you insist.” I ponder for a moment, wondering where in the hell to start this story… so I start at the beginning. “My brother was always my father’s favorite. There’s no denying it, and honestly, I didn’t give a shit for the longest time. Joseph was the older, more stable son, who wanted nothing more than to take up the mantle for my father’s company whenever the time came. I was fine with that. Then Joseph died and everything was flipped on its head. Suddenly, I’m the only Shaw who can step in, but it comes with stipulations set in place by my father. One of which is I have to be in a stable, long-term relationship before I can take his place. He’s been on my case about it every chance he gets… and then tonight, remember the photos that were snapped by the paps outside the club? They ended up online because social media spreads information faster than nans in a sewing circle.”
My word vomit stream of consciousness finally takes a pause. I don’t know how to finish. I don’t know what she’s thinking. I don’t know her well enough to know what she’s thinking. What the hell am I doing?
The look of panic and strife on my face at least has allowed her to not run and offer me a bit of what I can only assume is pity. “Come sit on the couch with me.” Her delicate fingers wrap around my wrist, giving it a gentle tug. Her message is easy to comply with.
I follow her where she sits facing me. “Kaitlyn…”
“I’m going to put my powers of deduction to work.” The free spirit from even five minutes ago is gone. The attorney is sitting firmly at the helm. “This trip to America was to get away from these demands. Your father seems to be able to quickly and efficiently push your buttons, so in a moment of panic, and from what I could gather a very unfair assessment of me, you defended me by plopping me square in the middle. More or less?”
“That’s about… exactly right.”
She pulls all of her hair over one shoulder and drops her face into her hands. “Okay, all right.”
“Kaitlyn, again, I’m sorry for pulling you into this. That was completely unacceptable and wrong of me—”
She sits up suddenly and holds her hand up, stopping me. “You were defending me and getting your dad off your case in one swoop. Stop apologizing for that.”
“I really need you to tell me what you’re thinking right now. Christ.” I am now the one standing and pacing the room. “Now I have to find a way to sell a break up to him.”
“Don’t…”
“Don’t what, Kaitlyn?”
“Don’t tell him you broke up with me. Are his stipulations in a contract somewhere? Is it written down where I could read them?”
“I could have my assistant email it to me, why?”
“Because I want to see what I’m getting myself into.”
With my hand forced through my hair, I turn to face her in utter confusion. “What are you saying?”
“His contract might not be the only contract in play here. When do you think you could have the file?”
“Clarissa usually is up around this time, even on a Saturday.”
Kaitlyn twists her hair with her left hand as she fishes inside her clutch for what I finally see is a pen. With ease, she weaves the pen to hold her hair back. “Call her. We have work to do.”
Kaitlyn
I make a cup of coffee for Griffin and a hot tea for myself while he quietly speaks to Clarissa. I can’t even believe what I’m thinking, but I know, for whatever reason, I need to help him.
“Thanks for sending this so quickly, Clarissa. I really appreciate it.”
I carry the two piping hot mugs over to the desk we’ve got his laptop perched on and place one on each side before taking my seat back, just as he ends the call.
“It’s in my inbox now.”
“Great, let’s take a look at it then.”
I don’t even know this man. We’ve spent less than eight hours total together, and I’m already considering the most insane thing I’ve ever entertained in my life. I think it boils down to… his father is a bully, and I really, really hate bullies.
“Okay, this is the document he gave me the day we had our initial conversation about his retirement approaching and his expectations of me moving forward.”
I chew on the cap of my pen as I give the document a quick scan. The points are clear and firm. He needs to have a stable relationship to promote the family values aspect of the business, even though it would seem he never did that himself. I know what it’s like to have to play nice in a sandbox…even a sandbox that’s filled with scorpions.
“Okay, so it doesn’t say marriage, and it doesn’t have a length of time listed, meaning if you were to dissolve the relationship for irreconcilable differences, you wouldn’t then be in breach. So, you would need me to help you get through the transfer of power, then separate however we’d determine that.” I look up and Griffin’s color has gone from the fiery red of anger to the paleness of winter snow. “Are you okay?”
“Am I okay?” he whispers it like he’s trying on the words to see how he feels about them.
He pushes back from the table, then seemingly in a daze, begins pacing the room slowly. “Griffin, I don’t know you very well yet, so I need you to be more vocal with me. I can’t guess where you are and what you’re thinking.”
“Fuck me, Kaitlyn. You don’t want any part of what is going on in my head right now.”
“Try me. Clearly, I don’t scare that easily or I wouldn’t be here.”
His hand runs up to the back of his neck, pulling and tugging at the skin. “You’re reading through this mess like the talented attorney I’m seeing you to be. But you’re also extending me the kindness of a true friend. I haven’t had many of those, let alone of the female persuasion. Kaitlyn, your words are generous.” Griffin finally turns to face me. “Do you honestly think I’d allow you to do what you’re suggesting?”
“Allow me? I’m making a choice here. I’m offering to help you, Griffin.”
“My father would be able to smell a con from a mile away. The lengths we’d have to go to in order to make this believable would be astronomical. I couldn’t and wouldn’t ask or allow you to dedicate that kind of time or energy to me for nothing.”
I cross my arms. “It wouldn’t be for nothing. It would be because what he’s asking of you is insane and he needs to be put in his place.”
Griffin is very quiet for a few moments, like there are a million things running through his mind, pacing back and forth, then all of a sudden, he stops in his tracks.
“You’d need to spend a considerable amount of time with me, and in order to sell this to him, you’d have to accompany me back home for a bit. He’d insist on meeting you.”
I swallow the anxious knot forming in my throat. I hadn’t thought about that.
“Oh…”
“Allow me to counter the offer. Kaitlyn, I’d like to hire you as an employee, of sorts.”
“Hire me? I prefer the favor angle. Hiring me makes me feel like a prostitute.”
“Never. Never ever use that word again.”
I pull the robe I’ve been wearing like a blanket tighter around me. The chill I’ve felt on and off since we got to the hotel is now completely arctic. “You don’t have to growl at me. Remember how well that’s worked for you recently?”
The tension immediately releases from his body. His shoulders sag forward with an inhale and exhale. “I’m sorry,” he whispers. “You’re right. Please hear me. What you’re offering is a get out of jail free card for me. I can’t allow that large of a debt to go unpaid. Kaitlyn, would you accept a get out of jail free card of your own in return?”
“What do you mean exactly?”
“Allow me, at the end of this ruse, to forgive all your student loan debt. That would make me feel better. We’d both be rid of our albatrosses at the same time.”
The room begins to spin a little and I feel nauseous. I reach behind me wildly, looking for a surface to sit on and end up perched against the small desk.
“I… Griffin… that’s…” I exhale slowly, trying to find my words because my mouth is suddenly full of marbles. “That’s thousands and thousands of dollars. It’s my salary a few times over.”
“I know speaking about money makes people uncomfortable, but I’m going to be very blunt with you. Can you handle that?”
I nod. “Yes.”
He closes the distance between us and gently takes my hand in his. “I am a very fortunate man where finances are concerned. I have a lot of money, and am able to freely do with it whatever I want. Trust me when I say this, Kaitlyn. I can afford it.”
My lower lip becomes an unexpected dessert. It’s a nasty habit, but I chew on that when a pen cap isn’t available. What seemed great in theory a couple of minutes ago, now sounds terrifying. I can see that Griffin is looking at me as a lifeline. How can I claim to hate bullies above all else if I can’t walk the walk?
“I’d want a formal contract. I’d also want it reviewed by people we each trust, and a standard NDA. I don’t want anyone to know but us. Secrets are best kept…secret.”
“I’d like to offer another perspective.” Griffin slowly comes toward me, perching on the edge of the chair facing the desk. As the weight of his body sinks back, he gently takes my hands. “You’ll want one person who knows. I can be a lot. The life I lead can be a lot. I wouldn’t want you to feel cut off or disconnected, let alone feeling like you’re lying to the entire world. I have a feeling not being completely up front with your family will be hard enough for you. Just think about it.”
Gillian’s face immediately pops into my head. “You’re right. I’d want my sister to know, otherwise, she’d think I’d lost my damn mind.” I can hear her now. “Pixie! What in the hell are you thinking? Did you fall off Rocket and hit your head? Jason and I are boarding a flight right now to come shake some sense into you!”
“I think telling her would be a wise decision.”
I squeeze his hands a little and look down at our interconnected fingers. “Shit,” I whisper. “What am I going to do about work?”
He ponders a response for a moment. “You can handle asking for some time off with Elliot, yes?”
“I’m sure that wouldn’t be a problem.”
“Good. Allow me to handle your other boss. I have a feeling I can make him see things my way where you are concerned.”
I can’t believe this is really happening. “Did I really just agree to let you pay me to be your girlfriend?”