Beauty and the Boss, page 21
she said, and Charlotte laughed.
“I guess if beautiful women were falling into my bed all
the time like they do with you, I’d have been a little sluttier
too.”
She swatted Charlotte’s butt and laughed with her. “I’m
not slutty. I’m lucky. So who were the lucky bastards, if
that’s not prying?”
“I was young and confused when I met and fell in love
with Kyle, so that was my first. But love turned out to be a
teenage crush, so I should’ve waited.” Charlotte snuggled
closer and kissed the side of her breast. “When I was in
design school, though, I met Morgan, and we became study
partners. We were both lonely, I guess, so it didn’t take long
for her to show me why it never felt right with Kyle.”
“You don’t have to be lonely anymore if you give me a
shot.”
“Are you sure you want to take on me and my numerous
problems?”
“I want all of you,” she said, and Charlotte moved so she
could see her face. It was like a stake through the heart
when she saw the tears again. They were in no way a sign
of happiness.
“Oh, God, Ellis.” Charlotte fell on her. “I have to tell you.”
“Hey, take a breath so you don’t make yourself sick
again. You know you can tell me anything. What is it?”
What Charlotte had to say was like being stabbed
through the gut, then through the middle of her head, and it
reminded Ellis why she didn’t allow many people into her
life like this. It wasn’t the time to roll over and show her soft
underbelly for the kill shot, so she tried to think quickly.
“When were you planning to tell me?” The act was done,
and nothing would make it any easier to try to erase
Charlotte from her life.
“I tried earlier, but I couldn’t because all I could think of
is what I’d lose if I don’t do it.” Charlotte held on to her like
she was afraid she’d throw her on the floor and walk out.
“It’s not an excuse, but the position I’m in clouded my
head.”
“This is what you’re going to do.” When she finished
talking, Charlotte was crying harder, but there was no other
way. Charlotte had plenty to lose, but then again, so did she.
CHAPTER NINETEEN
“You’d better think before you do anything else,” Eglin
said as they drove home. He’d listened to the script Kyle
had read, and all it sounded like to him was a setup. This
Jennifer and the people she was working didn’t need
anybody but a fall guy, and his idiot son was already in over
his head.
“Look, just because this is my deal, there’s no reason to
crap all over it.”
Kyle sat with his arms crossed and sported the same pout
he’d perfected when he was three. “You think everything I
do is a screwup, so maybe you should mind your own
business from now on. This ain’t got nothing to do with
you.”
“You can fucking do whatever you want, but you keep
doing all this woman’s bidding without asking not one damn
question, and you’re gonna take the fall. Just stop acting like
a trained seal and grow a pair.” The traffic out of the city
was brutal, and all the sitting was making his back ache like
someone was twisting his body and legs in opposite
directions. Any idea of cutting his recovery short was as
questionable as what he’d just witnessed.
“What am I going down for, huh? You’re the genius in the
family, so explain it to me.” The way Kyle threw his insult
out meant the kid would never forgive him for the crappy
life he’d had and blamed him for. “Let’s hear it.”
He drummed his fingers on the steering wheel, trying to
ignore his discomfort. No matter how many times he’d
fucked up or given up and walked away, he’d never been
one for reflection. Thinking too hard on your past only led to
disaster, so he chose to drink instead. “Listen, do what you
want, because you’re right. I’m the last man who should be
giving you advice. Forget everything I said and handle it
however you want. It’s your deal.”
Kyle turned in his seat and stared at him before laughing.
“You think this is going to work? I know you think I’m stupid,
but I’m not that dumb.”
“What do you want, an apology? Okay, I’m sorry, but look
in the mirror before you tell me to fuck off.” He took a deep
breath, trying to work through the pain, but the only two
things that would touch it were a glass of whiskey and a
Percocet chaser.
“I’m nothing like you, if that’s what you mean.”
“Ha,” he said as they finally crept out of the tunnel.
“Okay, you’re your own man, but let me ask you something.
You doing all this because you love that kid or for the
money? And don’t fucking lie.”
“You know I need the money, but I’ll take her if that’s my
only way to get it.”
“Then you’re right again, and we ain’t nothing alike. I was
gone most of the time because I couldn’t stand your mama
—still can’t. Once upon a time, though, she was crazy about
taking care of you, so I let her keep thinking that might
finally get her to crawl out of that Jack bottle. It did for a
while, but she went right back to it, and with that came the
crazy. I can do plenty, but not crazy, so you and me missed
out on being together, but she had you, so it never really
bothered me none.”
“I know you never gave a good fuck about me, but now
you’re trying to tell me you’re a bleeding heart for some kid
you never met? Give me a break.”
“Forget I said anything, and watch yourself. All this you’re
messing with is big stuff, and something about it is wrong.
Once the law figures out what that something is, you’re
gonna be the only one holding the bag. That happens, and
you’re going to get screwed out of more than forty thousand
dollars.”
“Take all that and stuff it—this isn’t your business.”
Eglin merged and took the highway home. “You got it.
This is all you.”
* * *
Charlotte woke up alone and lay there for a while longer,
enjoying the quiet and the memories of the previous night.
If she had the opportunity to live it over, she would have
told Ellis what Kyle wanted before they’d slept together. In
this case, having no memory of their time together would be
easier to handle, since she was familiar with loss and
disappointment.
“Hey,” Ellis said, and Charlotte felt the bed move right
after she spoke.
“I thought you were gone,” she said without rolling over,
liking the way Ellis felt pressed up against her.
“You honestly think I’d skulk off after last night?” Ellis
kissed the side of her neck. “I had to make a few calls this
morning, and I didn’t want to wake you so I used Sawyer’s
room.”
“You know I’d never hurt you, don’t you? If that had been
my plan, I would’ve never said anything.” She turned
halfway and peered up at Ellis. The initial shock that had
been plastered on her face from the night before seemed to
have relaxed some.
“For a long time, I thought I’d been blessed with more
luck than sense, but maybe fate has something else in
mind.”
“Am I supposed to know what you’re talking about?”
“Not yet, but you’re going to give Kyle whatever he
wants.”
“You’re going to just give up? That’s not fair.” She
reached up and caressed Ellis’s cheek. “I’ll fight him, if
that’s what it’ll take, but I decided last night that if I give in,
he’ll get more than he’s asking for, and my self-worth isn’t
something I’m willing to throw away so easily. I need to talk
to Sawyer and make a decision.”
“Compared to what he’s asking for and what you’ve got
to lose—I need you to give him what he wants.”
She sat up and moved away from Ellis, needing the space
between them. “I’m a good mother, so whatever he’s got
isn’t going to lose me custody.”
“Okay. How about this? Wait a day and we’ll decide
together.”
“Why can’t we do what you said last night?”
“Last night my head was a jumble, after what you had to
say. It totally blindsided me because it came from you, but it
wasn’t totally a surprise. I was expecting a second part to
whatever Jennifer and Dalton had planned, but now because
it did come from you, I need to be sure if my assumptions
are right. I’m willing to gamble on a season of clothes, but
not with Sawyer if I’m not absolutely sure.” Ellis was dressed
but stood up in search of her shoes. “Right now, though, we
need to get back to work and act like everything’s normal.”
“You want me to act normal?” If Kyle was the only thing
on her mind, she might’ve had a chance, but their night
together was a game changer.
“You’re right. Stay in today and call Bill. I’ll make excuses
for you. Once I get everyone started, I’ll come back and
have lunch with you guys.”
“I don’t understand what you want exactly.” Ellis was way
too calm for someone who knew what Kyle was asking of
her.
“Take a shower, and then meet me in the kitchen.
Mama’s bringing Sawyer back in twenty minutes, so I’ll
make toast.”
Charlotte smiled after Ellis kissed her and led her to the
bathroom door. The terrific shower that usually made her
relax didn’t hold its usual appeal, so she rushed through it,
hoping Ellis gave up some more clues as to what came next.
If not, at least they had that much more time alone.
“What’d you tell Sawyer last night?” She ran her hands
up Ellis’s back while she spread peanut butter on toast,
wishing they could stop the rest of the world for a moment.
“I told her you weren’t feeling well, but it wasn’t anything
serious.” Ellis turned around and lifted her onto the
countertop so she could kiss her again. “I promised I’d take
good care of you.”
“You did that spectacularly well.” They kissed one more
time before Ellis moved away to put the food on the table,
and then the door opened.
Amis joined them for breakfast, so all three of them
listened to Sawyer’s recap of her night out with the gang.
The way Ellis and the rest of her family had taken Sawyer in
was the greatest blessing Charlotte had gotten out of the
summer, aside from her time with Ellis.
“Hey, pal, do you want to start working on your new
piece while I talk business with your mom and mine?” Ellis
asked Sawyer when Bill arrived with a bundle of files. “I’ll be
in there as soon as we’re done.”
Sawyer left as if she understood it wasn’t going to be a
normal workday, so Ellis joined the others at the dining
table. “I’m going to ask you to sign a few things, and I don’t
want you to think it’s because I don’t trust you. You’ve never
given me any reason not to, but I was expecting something
like the call last night—I just didn’t know where it was going
to come from.”
“Do you have any clue as to how Kyle knows who you
are?” Charlotte gazed at her like they were the only two
people there. “He has some idea of what I want to do, but
that’s about it. I doubt seriously if he could name one
designer if you put a gun to his head and threatened to blow
his pea brain out.”
“We’ll discuss that, but let Bill get all his stuff out of the
way.”
“Like Ellis said, this isn’t because you’ve done anything
wrong,” Bill said, opening the first folder and taking out
what looked like a contract. “This is an ironclad
nondisclosure contract that carries severe penalties up to
jail time if you share any of what we’re going to discuss
today, as well as disclose anything from the spring line and
everything going forward without Ellis’s consent.”
Charlotte signed without complaint and initialed in all the
spots Bill pointed to after he explained what it was and gave
her time to read it. The binding legalese would be standard
going forward, no matter what her position was within the
company.
“I understand all this, but you told me this morning to do
the exact opposite.”
“Charlotte, we aren’t trying to trick you,” Amis said as
she glanced at Ellis.
“Would you excuse us?” she said, and held her hand out
to Charlotte so they could go back to the bedroom. “I don’t
know this for sure, but I think someone is trying to force me
out of business. Like seriously out of business, and that’s
who Jennifer and Dalton are working with.”
“Why would they do that?” Charlotte asked, sitting
beside her on the bed.
“Jennifer and Dalton tried to get me to sign what they
said was a vendor contract, but in reality it would’ve given
them a majority share of the company. Only an idiot
could’ve thought that would have actually worked, but it did
give me the excuse to fire them, so I’m not complaining
about their stupidity.”
“That’s the night they stole the book, right?”
“Yeah, but now I see that it was more an opening act.
They apparently want me to quit so I not only have to sell,
but I have to sell cheap. That’s not what’s happened,
though, so they aim to rip my guts out again before I finish
the show.”
“You’re going to just hand it over? Why would you do
that?”
“I need you to trust me, and I want you to call Kyle back
and ask him how exactly you need to do this. After you do,
you’re going to follow his directions verbatim.”
“He gave me pretty specific instructions last night.”
Ellis nodded and flexed her fingers. “Then call him back
and ask him to recap to make sure you understand.”
“You’re going to fire me once I do, aren’t you?”
“It’s the only way, but you either trust me or you don’t.”
* * *
Kyle sat in his attorney’s office staring at his phone and
ripping at his hangnails with his teeth. He’d told Eglin that if
he said one word, he’d throw him out, so his father sat
across from him flipping through a stack of magazines. Eglin
had accepted the job of going to get the attorney Jennifer
had hired if Charlotte called back.
“This is ridiculous,” he said as he glanced at his watch.
They’d wasted two hours waiting for something he was sure
wasn’t coming, because he knew Charlotte.
At first, Charlotte had been flattered by his attention.
He’d been a couple of years older, and it hadn’t taken him
long before he had her flat on her back, and that feat had
returned to bite him when the frigid little bitch had gotten
pregnant. From the moment Sawyer had arrived, his meek
and mousy girlfriend had become a repetitive megaphone
for child support.
“Then leave,” Eglin said, not making eye contact since he
kept flipping through the magazine he was on.
“Yeah. I can see you letting me do that. You can admit
that you’re here for the money, and that’s it. What you can’t
figure out yet is if I’ll share it with you, but you can’t take
any chances. Can you?”
“Boy, you can do whatever you want. I’m not here for a
penny of what you got coming to you, but I do want to make
sure it’s money you got coming and not a six-by-nine cell.”
The flipping of glossy pages was starting to get on Kyle’s
nerves. “This is a waste of time, and I told Jennifer that.
Charlotte’s got oatmeal for brains when it comes to making
any kind of score. She ain’t giving this up.”
“We’ll see.”
He laughed and slammed his hand on the shiny table.
“You barely know me, and you’re going to pretend to know
Charlotte. I think you’ve only seen her once, and Sawyer
double that.”
“You keep telling me that, but people aren’t all that
different.” Eglin cut his eyes up at him without lifting his
head.
“Your life must be so boring, always being so right about
everything.” He wanted to go home to his mother, since in
her opinion he was perfect. The ringing phone stopped him
