CHAPTER 11
Present Day
My mom ended up staying an entire week. I tried on several occasions to get her to talk to me about the King family, but she blatantly refused. Her refusal to discuss anything with me was frustrating, to say the least, and I realized if I were to get some answers to my questions, I’d have to go about it differently.
It was decided that Rose move with her to California. We found out that, not only had she been involved in under-aged drinking, Rose admitted to smoking pot, to trying a couple of recreational drugs she couldn’t remember the names of, and of having unprotected sex with her boyfriend. It was clear to Mom and me that she was dealing with her grief in an unhealthy way and needed more support than I was capable of offering at the moment.
Monday after working at Café Limone, I headed to the police station and dropped all charges against Spencer. I told them he had given me my necklace back and they closed the case. By Friday, I was kicking myself because I hadn’t heard a peep from Spencer and there was no indication he’d return my necklace. I told Jen about what had happened, even about our passionate encounter in his office, and she thought he had a crush on me—in a dark, twisted way—and was using it as a reason to see me again. She offered to get me some more Ipecac, but after the fiasco at the fundraiser, I realized if I wanted to outsmart him at his own game, I’d have to go about it in more subtle ways.
On Saturday, I drove my sister and mom to the airport. Rose was bawling the entire way and kept repeatedly saying that her life was over. I knew her moving in with Mom was the best decision, but I did feel bad for her. She and Wayne were a good couple and it was heartrending that they needed to separate. Even so, this was for the best.
After dropping them off, and on my way to the gym, I stopped by Café Limone to pick up my paycheck. Right as I stepped inside, Hal approached me.
“I need to see you in my office,” he said.
“Why?” I asked.
He didn’t answer but turned around, and I trailed after him as I tried to remain positive and not think thoughts of being fired.
I entered the cramped office and sat on the metal chair opposite the desk. Hal slid an envelope across the table.
“This is your last paycheck,” he said.
“What?” I asked.
“You’ve been fired.”
“Why?” I asked.
“A customer had a rather severe complaint about you,” he said.
“Severe?” I asked.
“Yes.”
“Can you tell me what it was?” I asked. I couldn’t recall doing anything that would justify me being fired.
“It’s confidential information,” he said.
“I deserve to know considering my employment is being terminated,” I said.
“Very well. Mr. King said you pressed false charges against him. And since Mr. King is a business associate of mine, I can’t have you working here.”
“He stole my necklace!” I yelled. “He… I worked at the hotel he’s buying, and he stole my necklace!”
“Ellie… Don’t lie.”
“I’m not lying!” My voice was cracking, that’s how loud I was screaming.
“Keep your voice down or I’ll have to ask you to leave,” Hal said.
I just stared at my now-previous boss in disbelief. No matter what, he wasn’t going to side with me. I was on my own. I was made to look like the crazy one, while Spencer was the one who was pulling all the strings. My Dark Knight was out to destroy me, to break me, like he said. And he enjoyed doing this. It turned him on. Well, I was done being turned on. A million percent done. And I was going to find a way to get my revenge.
I stood and grabbed my paycheck from off the desk.
“Just for the record, I quit!” I knew I had just been fired and that I couldn’t technically quit but saying it made me feel like I had at least some control in this situation.
As I was storming toward the entrance door, I fished my phone out from my bag and called Spencer. He picked up almost immediately.
“You have the nerve to get me fired?” I said as I stepped outside onto the sidewalk.
“Hello Ellie,” he said in that dark voice of his that usually made me lose at least a million brain cells. But not this time. I wasn’t falling for it.
“What the hell is wrong with you?” I yelled as I paced back and forth outside the restaurant. I didn’t care that people were staring at me as they walked by.
“I can’t have my reputation be smeared,” he said.
“It’s always about you, isn’t it? What about me? Did you think nothing of me? Of my college education?”
“You’ll be fine,” he said.
“You’re the worst excuse of a human being I’ve ever met!” I yelled. “You’re horrible! I hate you!”
Jen stepped into my line of sight. She took my phone from me and hung up.
“Shut your mouth and come inside—now,” she said.
I was panting and my blood pressure must have been borderline heart-attack level.
“Let’s go inside and talk. Just you and me,” she said.
I nodded once and she took my arm and led me into the employee room in the back. She sat me down on a chair and stood in front of me, her arms crossed.
“I heard Hal fired you,” she said.
I looked down at the floor and nodded.
“I heard it was because Spencer claimed you lied about him to the cops.”
I nodded again, then looked up at her. “I didn’t though…”
“Honey, I know that. You know that. But people only choose to see what they want to see.”
I let my head fall back with a moan of exasperation.
“What should I do?” I asked.
“The only way out of this is to face your fears,” she said. “In this case, Spencer is your fear.”
“I don’t want to face Spencer. I just want him to go away,” I said. “For forever.”
“He won’t. Trust me. Remember, I know plenty of men like him.”
“So, what do I do?” I asked.
She leaned against the table and thought for a moment.
“You have to beat him at his game,” she said.
“That’s impossible.”
“He has a thing for you. That’s obvious. We can use that against him.”
“I just… I’m just so done,” I said. “I mean, taking out student loans isn’t the worst thing, is it?”
“I will not let you change your life to accommodate that asshole,” she said.
“I am!” I said.
“You know he’s not going to stop harassing you until you win the war,” she said. “You won’t ever get your grandmother’s necklace back. And who knows… he might even prevent you from ever being accepted into any medical school.”
“He wouldn’t… couldn’t do that,” I said. But deep inside, I knew that he would and could.
“Ok, what do you suggest?” I asked, ready to listen now that I realized my entire future was on the line.
She rested her chin on her fist. “You have to find a way to get closer to him. Make him trust you. Make him fall in love with you. Then bam! Hit him where it hurts. Men like this aren’t bullet proof.”
“I’m pretty sure he’s bullet proof,” I said.
“He has weaknesses, too. Trust me. And if you can find out what they are… and use them against him… he’ll crumble.”
I tried to think of what weaknesses Spencer had. He cared about children. Oh, my God. I was so not going to use that against him. He… he loved sex. I could use that against him. He protected his reputation as if his life depended on it. I could find a way to use that against him, I was certain. Still, I felt there was an underlying weakness that I was yet to discover.
“I know how you can get close to him,” Jen said.
“How?” I asked.
“Since he’s gotten you fired from two jobs, make him hire you,” she said.
“He won’t ever hire me,” I said.
“Tell him you want to work off the money from the vase you broke.”
“That’s $70,000! It’d take me years!”
“No. He he can afford to pay you well, and you could demand he pay you very well since he got you fired.”
I thought about it for a moment. Could it work? I didn’t think so, but I couldn’t really come up with any other way to get close to him. Not that I wanted to. I wanted him out of my life yesterday. But I knew what Jen was saying was true. He wouldn’t disappear if I did nothing. And my future was on the line.
“Tell him you will work for him the remainder of the summer and that should cover the vase,” she said.
“But I need money for college,” I said.
“Tell him you also need to make up for lost wages, whatever that was,” she said.
I hated this plan. Hated. It. And I didn’t think it was going to work. Even so, I considered it.
“Now text him and demand a meeting with him today,” Jen said as she handed me my phone back.
I took it and started texting.
“He’s going to say no,” I said.
“Ellie, just send the damn text.”
I typed it up and read it out loud to her. “I have an urgent matter I’d like to discuss with you. Meet me for lunch in thirty minutes at Hotel Seattle. ~Ellie”
“Perfect,” she said.
I sent it and a few moments later, he replied.
I have meetings all afternoon and need to discuss sooner. Fifteen minutes. I’ll see you then.
I so wanted to stick to my 30-minute timeline just so he’d know he didn’t own my time. So he’d know he didn’t own me. But I decided to agree with him. Besides, I wanted my necklace back, and if our last fiasco date had taught me anything, it was that to get what I wanted, I needed to do what he said.
Then it hit me. Shit. I was meeting with Spencer in 15 minutes.
“I gotta go,” I said.
“Before you leave, did you find any information about that guy you told me about… what was his name… Mike?” she asked. “Maybe he has something to do with why Spencer has it out for you.”
“I haven’t,” I said. “But from what Spencer has said, I’m thinking Mike created a rumor that I slept with him or something.”
“Guys…” She rolled her eyes. “When they can’t get a girl, they have to find a way to save face and so they revert to slut shaming.”
“I never officially met him, but he did smile at me a couple of times and I don’t think I ever smiled back. He gave me the creeps.” I shivered where I sat, remembering how I felt around him, as if I was just an object he wanted to conquer.
“You were smart to stay away,” Jen said. “Always trust your intuition. And… talking about rumors… I hear I am being promoted to head hostess.”
“Really?” I said, feeling genuinely happy for her.
She smiled, a proud gleam in her eye. “I don’t know how I got it…”
“Don’t be ridiculous. You’re amazing. The best waitress… and you consistently bring in the most tips and never mess up your orders.”
“Except that one time,” she said. “When that one lady ordered a coffee with Bailey’s and I gave her coffee with a side of bay leaves.”
We laughed at the memory.
“So, I’ll probably have to put in at least ten more hours per week,” she said with a sigh.
“I guess that doesn’t leave a lot of time for fun things… like dating?” I said.
She rolled her eyes. “The last guy I dated ended up stealing my laptop. I’m done with men. Much happier with me and my vibrator.”
“I know what you mean.” I stood up. “Well, I best be off so I’m not late. Who knows what kind of punishments Spencer will conjure up if I am.”
* * *
I walked into the marble foyer at Hotel Seattle and approached the counter. A new employee that I’d never met before greeted me with an ear-to-ear grin. She was blonde, gorgeous, and thin. Another Victoria’s Secret look-alike. Were all employees from now on going to look like her? I didn’t like the direction Spencer was taking this, but then again, it wasn’t as if it was any of my business.
“I’m here for Spencer King,” I said.
The young woman blushed and smiled. Oh, hell. Did she have a crush on him, too?
“He’s waiting for you in the restaurant,” she said.
“Thank you.” I walked across the foyer and entered the restaurant. I approached the host. Huh. He was new, too. A tall, young handsome muscular man with dark skin and looked like he belonged on the cover of some 100 best-looking-men-on-the-planet magazine.
“I’m here for Spencer King,” I said.
He nodded. “This way, ma’am.” He led me to a table in the private section of the restaurant to where Spencer was sitting, then closed the door, leaving us alone.
Spencer was as dashing as ever. He wore black dress slacks and a white, starched, button up shirt. The black tie around his neck was loose, and he had rolled up his sleeves to his elbows, revealing muscular, veiny forearms. He smelled heavenly, and I wondered how I was going to get through this “meeting” without falling all over myself.
Spencer looked up at me and nodded briefly. I pulled out my own chair and sat. After I had silenced my phone, I sipped the ice water and placed the linen napkin across my lap. In my yoga pants and tank top, I realized I was severely underdressed compared to Spencer.
“I’m sorry I didn’t have time to change,” I said.
He leaned back and drank me in. My pulse took off and I tried to calm myself.
“I rather like the casual look on you,” he said, offering no further explanation. “So, what was so important that you had to discuss with me now?” He glanced at the menu.
“I have found a way in which I can repay you for the vase I shattered,” I said.
He looked up, eyes dark, as if by some inappropriate, sensual thought.
Before I managed to carefully weigh my words, I blurted out, “No, I’m not going to sleep with you, Spencer.”
He glanced at me as if my comment bored him, then his eyes returned to the menu.
“Don’t worry,” he said. “I have friends who happily pay for sex, but I’d never go there.”
Friends? Like Mike? I wondered.
“It just so happens that I am looking for a personal assistant while I’m in negotiations here in Seattle the next couple of months.”
“You are?” I asked.
“But you would have to do whatever you’re told.” He gave me a pointed look.
Ugh.
“I will pay you well, Ellie. And I’ll make sure your earnings cover the vase and your lost wages.”
This was beginning to sound too good to be true. It was too easy. There had to be a catch. I just knew it.
“How much were your earnings?” he asked.
I quickly did the math in my head and included Café Limone, the tips, and my previous job at the hotel…. Plus, a little more buffer room. He’d never go for it.
“Around four to five thousand a month,” I said.
“I’ll pay you four thousand,” he said deadpan. “I’ll need you to work full-time and be at my beck and call. And I need you to do whatever I ask.”
“Five thousand and I’ll need my necklace back today,” I said. “And no sexual favors.” My last comment hit me right between the legs and it was as if he noticed. The right side of his lip twitched, and his eyes darkened several shades as the tension between us ignited with lust. I’d have to learn to ignore that if I was to remain sane these next several weeks.
“I didn’t realize you were so good at negotiating.” He raised an eyebrow.
I gave him a clipped smile.
“Five thousand it is,” he said. “Also…” He pulled out a credit card from his wallet and slid it to me across the tabletop. It had my name on it.
He knew I would ask him for a job? Was I that predicable? Had he set this entire thing up? Had he fired me just so I would ask him for work? God dammit!
“You need a new wardrobe,” he said. “The spending limit is twenty thousand. You’re going to need a formal gown for an event next Saturday. And make sure to buy a couple of business suits.”
He was taking me to a formal event? Was I his escort now?
Suddenly, I was feeling like this was a very bad idea. Would we be able to work together without murdering each other, or without us…? I forced myself to not finish that thought because I knew it would involve various positions, one of them with him on top ramming into me. Oh, how I loathed that I wanted him so bad it hurt.
“And for the record, I have a girlfriend now,” he said. “Just to be clear.”
All the breath went out of me and I broke eye contact. Did this mean I didn’t have a chance at getting close to him? To finding out what his weakness was? It took me a moment to gather myself from feeling like the floor had suddenly vanished beneath me. I gritted my teeth and hurled the negative thoughts out of my mind. Where there is a will there is a way.
“And just to show you I take your employment seriously… And so we can start our employee/employer relationship on good terms…” He reached into his black leather briefcase and slapped a check onto the table. It was made out to me in the amount of five thousand dollars. “As an advance.” He also pulled out a black jewelry box and opened it. Inside was my grandmother’s necklace.
I gasped and picked up the box. An unbidden surge of emotion welled up inside. Seeing my necklace, it was now I realized how much it meant to me, how much I’d missed it.
“Do we have a deal?” He held out a hand.
I hated how he was in control, that he was always in control, and that he knew my every move even before I did. It made me feel stupid and naive… like a child.
I stared at his hand for a moment, then reached for it. The electricity I felt at his touch was unmistakable, but I forced myself to ignore it, shoving all desire for him so deep down that I felt it would remain there forever.
“Deal,” I said.
He smiled, and I thought I imagined a flicker of deviousness in his expression. I already knew he was the devil. I already knew this was a game. But this time I went in with eyes wide open.
“I’m glad to have you on board for a couple of months,” he said. “Be at this address Monday morning at 9:00 a.m.” He handed me a business card. “And make sure you have a business suit by then.”
“Any specific color?” I asked cheekily, angrily.
He waved a dismissive hand. “Something neutral.”
“Will do.” I sat down and picked up the menu so I could order something to eat.
“I’d like to eat alone if you don’t mind,” he said.
Right. He wanted me to leave. It was his first move in our newly established game. I stood, nodded, and headed outside. I called up my last job and resigned. There was no turning back now, I realized. And I wasn’t sure if this was the game that would destroy me or leave me triumphant.
What I did sense, however, was that the seas ahead would be riddled with storms, with danger, and with sunrises and sunsets that would drown me in their beauty.