For His Keeping (For His Pleasure, Book 3) (14 page)

“No problem, Nic.”

Nicole got off the phone, smiling to herself and thinking how lucky she was. Her life was charmed and most of the time she didn’t even appreciate it, she was so wrapped up in the day-to-day silliness of work, and Red’s issues, and their relationship.

Feeling a new sense of purpose, Nicole dried her tears and went back upstairs to talk to Red and apologize for leaving the room that way.

But when she got there, he was gone.

A strange fluttering sensation moved through her stomach. She checked the bathroom and he wasn’t there either.

Next, she walked to the study, hoping against hope that she wouldn’t find him in that damn room again.

Unfortunately, that’s exactly where he was.

“Hey,” she said, watching him as he sat in that same chair near the window, drinking some kind of alcohol. It almost felt like she’d gone back in time.

“Hey,” he replied, not bothering to look at her.

“I’m sorry that I left like that. I should have stayed and tried to work things out, but I just felt upset and overwhelmed.”

“I totally get it,” he said, taking a quick sip from his glass. He swirled the liquid around absentmindedly, still not looking at her.

Nicole came forward into the room. “Are you okay?”

“No, not particularly.”

“What is it? You’re scaring me a little.”

Finally he turned and looked at her. His eyes had circles under them and his expression was pained. “I’m sorry if I’m scaring you, Nicole. You should never have to feel scared. Never.”

“I just want things to go back to normal,” she told him. “Let’s go lay in bed together and laugh and talk and kiss. This is silly.”

“No it’s not.” He shook his head slowly. “I thought a lot about how I’m treating you and I don’t think it’s very good. It’s not what you deserve.”

“You treat me wonderfully. You just have some things to work out.”

“No, it’s way beyond that,” he said. “I’m no good for you, Nicole. I’m a bad guy and anyone who’s with me is going to end up in a bad place sooner or later. I can’t let that happen to you. I care too much about you.”

She walked closer still and tried to touch his shoulder but he pulled away.

“Red, you’re tired and you’re upset. You should sleep on it and then we can talk tomorrow.”

He glanced at her sadly. “Fine,” he said.

She held out her hand. “Come to bed with me.”

“In a minute,” he said softly. Then he went back to staring outside.

She left the study, her stomach doing flips and twists as she tried to understand just what was going on. She told herself things would be better in the morning.

***

When they woke up the next day, Jeb was already gone. He’d left a brief note on the kitchen counter saying that he was sorry if his intrusion had caused any problems, and that he was glad to have met Nicole.

When Nicole showed the note to Red, he barely even glanced at it.

His eyes were red-rimmed and glassy as he drank his morning coffee. “I’ve called a car to come get you,” he said.

She just stared at him. Her stomach sank. “Did you sleep at all last night?”

“Not really.”

“Red, please—you need to get some rest.”

He sipped his coffee. “I’m not going to change my mind on this, Nicole.”

“Why are you intentionally trying to sabotage us?” she said. “After everything we’ve been through?”

“Exactly,” he replied. “We’ve been through too much in such a short time, and let’s be honest. It’s all my fault.”

“That’s not true.”

“But it is. All of these games, all of the hoops I’ve made you jump through, the mental gymnastics. It’s all because of me.” He thought about it and laughed a hollow, despairing laugh. “I’m really just like her.”

“Just like who?” Nicole said, already knowing the answer.

“Just like my mother. The manipulating, the self-obsession. We’re two peas in a pod, her and I.”

“That’s not true. You’re not like her at all. You’re a kind, loving, decent man and I won’t let you talk about yourself that way.”

“Thank you for saying that,” he smiled. The smile didn’t touch his weary eyes.

“But just the same, I’m going to give you the greatest gift I can possibly give you—

which is to disappear from your life.”

The tears started now. She wiped them away, angry at herself for being weak again. “This isn’t a gift. You’re taking away the best thing either of us has.”

“You’ll look back in a few months or a year and see that I did you a favor,” he told her. “Now come on. The car is waiting.”

She almost refused to go, but from the look on his face she knew it was no use.

Red had made up his mind.

When she got outside to the car, the driver was already putting her bags in the trunk. Nicole turned toward Red. “Looks like you were all prepared to kick me out. Just like your mother and your brother.”

She saw him flinch a little at her words, and regretted it instantly.

“It’s very different,” he said. “You’ll never possibly know how hard this is for me. But I care more about your happiness than my own, and you deserve a far better life than I can ever give you.”

“That’s such bullshit,” she told him. The tears were coming again. “You’re just afraid.”

“Not for myself,” he said, taking her arm and gently walking her to the car. “Go on now. And have a wonderful life and remember that there’s someone who will always love you, no matter what.”

“Is this how you show your love?” she cried, getting in the car.

“Someday you’ll look back and understand,” he said, closing the door.

Nicole closed her eyes and didn’t open them again until she was far away.

***

Many things had changed in a single week, Nicole thought as she and Danielle came back from a night out at one of the nearby clubs.

It had been refreshing to go out and just dance with a bunch of drunken girl friends and not think about Red or anything that came along with him.

But still, she thought, entering her old apartment, so much had changed.

Just the other day, she’d seen the report on TV about Red Jameson being fired by his board of directors.

She’d already known about it, of course. The company had had a big meeting a couple of days prior to alert the employees about everything that was happening.

To say that people in the office stared at her funny lately, would have been an understatement. Everywhere she went people gawked now. And sometimes they were even bold enough to ask her what Red was doing, where he was staying, when was the last time she’d talked to him?

Red Jameson was their version of Elvis Presley or Tupac—a celebrity that might be anywhere in the world or nowhere at all.

She told them the truth. She had no clue where Red was now and what he was doing.

The Rag had even run some report on him that claimed he was the new Howard Hughes. Red Jameson had gone completely insane and was now living on a tropical island under an assumed identity with a new face given to him by a willing plastic surgeon.

The sad part of it was, Nicole thought it possible that the article in The Rag was accurate. For all she knew, Red had made sure that he could never be found and would never enter her life again in any way.

Mostly she told herself it was for the best.

But most of the time, Nicole also knew it was a lie. She missed him and she ached for him in every cell of her body—wept for the loss in deepest part of her soul.

Nicole didn’t care if he was crazy, didn’t care if he was bad news. She just knew that she loved him and he loved her, and hoped maybe someday he’d figure out what something like that was truly worth.

Lately though, Nicole had started to feel like the connection might be lost.

Lately, she’d started to wonder if the man she thought she loved even truly existed, or ever had existed.

How ironic it was, then, when she and Danielle were home from the dance club, slightly tipsy, getting ready for some Ben and Jerry’s ice cream and a little bad reality TV

before bed—that Nicole’s cell phone rang and she instantly knew it had to do with Red.

The connection that she feared was gone, never to return—was as alive as a downed power line, sparking and dancing on an empty street.

Before she even answered, Nicole knew it would be about Red.

“Hello,” she said into the phone, her heart pounding like mad in her chest.

“Hello Nicole,” came the reply. It wasn’t Red, though. It was the man who’d helped destroy him. The voice belonged to Kane Wright.

“Don’t ever call me again,” she rasped. “I don’t know how you got this number—“

“Let’s dispense with the hysterics,” Kane said gently. “I’m calling because I want to see you and speak to you.”

“I don’t have any interest in that,” she said.

“I’ve gone out of my way not to hurt Red Jameson because of you,” came his response in that slightly accented, cultured voice. “But if you disrespect me, I might decide to completely crush the man instead.”

“Isn’t owning his company enough? What more do you want?”

“I think we both know the answer to that, Nicole.”

She bit her lower lip. “What do you want from me?”

“Just a meeting. Agree to meet with me. You don’t have to do anything else.”

Danielle was watching her with wide, concerned eyes.

“So if I meet with you, you’ll leave Red alone?” she said.

“Please, this isn’t some Hollywood film starring Liam Neeson,” he laughed. “I’m not a movie villain, Nicole. The terms are constantly changing and I make no promises.

But if you at least meet with me, there’s a chance for things to work out. And that’s something, isn’t it?”

“I don’t know if it’s worth it.”

“I promise I won’t bite. Give me a few minutes of your precious time, hear what I have to say.”

Nicole swallowed, knowing her answer was probably going to change her life, and possibly Red’s too.

“Yes,” she said.