Forever My Love: A Contenporary Romance (The Armstrongs Book 2) (8 page)

Monday rolled around and with it, thoughts of work and the week ahead. Ryan had spent a restless night, reliving Kendra’s words from the afternoon before.
Yesterday was a mistake. We shouldn’t see each other for a while.

He couldn’t get those words off his mind. His emotions went on a roller coaster with him. He was angry. And hurt. Incredulous. But mixed in with those negative emotions was a positive one – love.
I’m in love with her!

Ryan debated with himself, whether she was worth the risk to put himself in danger of a broken heart for a second time. He'd been heartsick for months when she had left him, barely  able to subsist.
I don’t know if I could survive that kind of pain a second time. It would be better to keep your distance. You’ll forget her and move on, back to your non-committal relationships.
He repeated the mantra several times, but in his heart, he knew it was all a pack of lies.

Thinking relentlessly about Kendra reminded him of the reason that had brought her back into his life. The necklace. His client. The sooner he got her the information she needed, the sooner he could start trying to forget her.
As if that was even possible!

He pulled up the number of his client and made the call.
This conversation should brighten up my Monday morning!
Knowing Mr. Carolius, it was going to be anything but!

“Mr. Carolius? Ryan Armstrong. How are you this morning, sir?”

“Ryan? What are you calling me for?” questioned the older man who wasn't exactly known for his tact or politeness.

“Well, I had an interesting visit from an appraiser over at Percy’s last week.”

“Tell me you didn't give them my name,” came the sharp demand over the phone line.

“Of course not. I believe in protecting the privacy of my clientele.”

A sigh of relief came across the line and then the question, “What did this appraiser want?”

“She recognized the necklace that was brought in to sale as one of my mine. The owner didn’t have any paperwork with it and she wanted me to verify its authenticity. I told her I would contact you, and that you'd make the decision as to how you wished to proceed.”

“This is the ruby necklace, I presume?”

“Yes. What would you like me to do? I’d be happy to provide you with the appraiser’s number directly. Her name is Kendra O’Neill and I know she’d be happy to discuss the piece with you.”

“Damn it! I knew this was going to come back to bite me in the ass! That necklace was supposed to be the wife’s fortieth anniversary present.”

“I remember you mentioning something about that,” Ryan commented.

“Anyway, we started fighting and now we’re headed for divorce court. The wife found out about my little side dish and wasn’t happy at all. I stupidly gave the necklace to Daisy, but I should have known better. These little tarts don’t appreciate a good thing!”

Ryan wisely held his tongue, interpreting what Mr. Carolius hadn’t said out loud. The older man liked the thrill of the chase, wowing some pretty young girl with all the finer things in life she’d never hoped to have. But soon enough, the chase was over and he moved on to the next pretty young thing. He dumped them like yesterday’s news, which rarely went without some kind of backlash.

“The wife doesn’t know about the necklace, and frankly I’d like to keep it that way.”

“But I thought she knew about it. We had to measure her neck…”

“I told her I cancelled the order. She brought it up at our first meeting with the lawyers. Can you imagine that greedy woman wanted it included in the divorce settlement. She seemed to think it was still hers!”

“Well, uhm…I’m sorry, I really don’t know what to say.”

“Neither did I. She want 500 millions, all because of a little fun with some pretty girls. Any man needs to have a mistress or two, but the wife just wouldn't understand. Anyhow if that necklace goes to auction, she’ll recognize it. I’m sure she has her spies watching all the best houses for signs of it. We’ve already agreed on the divorce settlement, and I have no desire to go through the process again.”

“So, what would you like me to do?” Ryan sighed. He hated infidelity.
Not every man needs a mistress!
His thoughts turned to his parents who'd been married for almost forty years and were still in love as if they had only just met. That was what marriage was supposed to be like!

“That necklace can’t show up in an auction catalog, or on any magazine cover. At least not until the divorce is finalized.”

Doing business with Mr. Carolius was one thing, but Ryan had no desire at all to get involved into his marital problems. “You know what? Let me give you Kendra O'Neill's office number. You can call her and make whatever arrangements you want. I'm sure you agree that it would be best if I stayed out of this entire situation.”

“Fine. Give me the number.”

He rattled off her office number and then prepared to disconnect the call, but Mr. Carolius wasn’t quite through. “Wait, I was planning on coming to see you anyway. I need another necklace. Nothing quite as extravagant as the last one, but something nice.”

Ryan didn't want to work with that man ever again, and thought of a polite way out, “Mr. Carolius, do you think that’s wise right now? Wouldn’t it be better to wait until after your divorce is finalized?”

“Yes, quite right. Good thinking, Ryan. My new girl will just have to be patient,” the man chuckled at his own joke.

Ryan was sickened and just wanted the call to end. Now what? A look around his workshop made him see her face and her body everywhere. Her décolleté starring on of his necklaces, a big golden hammered bracelet around her arm, a belly button ring for her piercing. His body   instantly reacted to the thought of her naked stomach adorned by his jewelry.
Now I'm getting all hard for a woman who doesn't want me. I need something to get her out of my mind. Gonna work on my statue.

Today however, working on the statue had the reverse effect on his thinking. Kendra dominated his thoughts, and even hammering and heating the bronze didn’t stop that.

After a few hours, he finally tossed his torch down and threw his work gloves onto the bench top.
This isn’t working! Again! You tried that last week already, remember?
He needed a different type of distraction. Kendra didn't want him, so it was time to put into practice what he'd thought about earlier. Time to jump back into the dating pool. A non-committal date  with casual sex would definitely get his mind off Kendra!  He quickly flipped through his phone, stopping when Carla’s name came up.

Carla had been a casual girlfriend for a while now and they'd been seeing each other every few weeks for months. She was a model in Chicago, with a body to die for and was almost always up for a round of sex with him. Carla was of the same mind he was; no commitment, just having a good time.
That’s exactly what I need.

She answered the phone with her usual hurried voice - she was always in a hurry.

"Hey Carla, how about going out this week?"

"Ryan. What a nice surprise. Sure, I really need to have some fun. What about Wednesday?"

***

They were sitting in one of his favorite restaurants and Carla was as charming as always. However, he was having a hard time getting into the spirit of the evening.

After dinner, she invited him back to her place and he found himself making the familiar drive while she played with his hair and the collar of his shirt. When they arrived at her place, she draped herself over him, kissing his neck and doing all the things that would normally have had him rushing to get her clothes off.

Not tonight. He wasn’t even turned on. When her hands skimmed down his chest, heading for his waistband, he grabbed them both and then turned them so his back was to the front door. “Carla, I’m not feeling very well tonight. I’m going to have to take a rain check.”

He felt horrible for the lie, didn’t want to deal with the fallout when she realized he wasn’t even starting to get hard for her! He kissed her on the cheek and then let himself out the door, ignoring the look of disappointment on her face.

What in the world is wrong with you, Armstrong? She was ready for the taking. Carla’s beautiful. And the sex with her is always good.
Ryan was upset with himself and wondering how he had arrived at this point. He'd never said “No” to a sure thing before. Never.

Kendra had gone back to work on Tuesday, having too much work to do to take off any more time. She was still hobbling slightly, but at least she wasn’t using those horrid crutches. A pile of messages was waiting for her, half a dozen from the young woman who had brought in the necklace.

She sat down at her desk and unlocked the safe on her back wall, withdrawing the necklace and laying it out on her desk. Just looking at the necklace and Ryan was upper most in her mind once again. The way he'd looked at her after their lovemaking, and how hurt he'd been when she'd sent him away. Sighing, she realized she was going to have to push through and get some work done or her bosses would be questioning her commitment to her job.

She needed to get some answers for Daisy and put that piece to auction. The big problem was, she didn’t want to call Ryan again, but she also didn’t want her secretary to do so. 

Making up her mind, she decided to figure out how do to this without his help. It wasn’t the ideal situation, but she was beyond caring at this point. When she was figuring out what to tell young her direct line rang.

“Percy's jewelry department. Kendra O’Neill.”

“Ms. O’Neill?”

“Yes?” she asked, holding back her sigh. She didn’t have time for whatever the caller wanted.

“My name is Mr. Carolius and I understand a young woman named Daisy brought a necklace to you to have it appraised for auction.”

Kendra’s attention was one hundred percent focused now.
Ryan called his client and gave him  my number! I thought he'd forgotten or decided not to, after I kicked him out.
Guilt flooded her brain. Ryan was a much better person, than she was.

Carolius? Off course, he was a very prominent hotel mogul in the Chicago area. He was not only mega rich, but an important part of the Chicago society. Everyone knew of him and the nasty divorce he and his wife were currently going through. A very public divorce with lots of dirty laundry.

But her voice was completely calm and business like when she answered, “What can I do for you, Mr. Carolius?”

“I would like to meet with you to discuss the necklace you currently have in your possession.”

“Off course. Did you have a time in mind?”

“How about tomorrow evening? Around 7 o’clock?”

“Well, we  close at 5, could you possibly come in…”

“I will be there at  7 p.m. and not a minute sooner. A man in my position cannot be seen arriving at a place like Percy’s!”

He can’t be seen arriving at Percy’s? Who does he think is going to be watching?
Even though she was angry at his behavior, she kept her voice calm, “Well, I guess I could make myself available.”

“Good.”

Kendra stared at the phone receiver when she was greeted a moment later by a dial tone.
He hung up on me. What a jerk!

She stared at the necklace. Now that she knew who had paid for the beautiful piece of jewelry, she almost expected it to take on a bad feeling. The man had known about Daisy, so it was safe to assume that he'd given it to her. That had her wondering what kind of young woman Daisy was to sell herself to a much older man for material things.

When a co-worker stopped by and invited her to lunch, she put the necklace back in the safe and tabled thoughts of it until the next evening.

***

She'd arranged for the security guard to stick around until the meeting with Mr. Carolius was over - just in case. The guard went a step further – he escorted Mr. Carolius to her office and then stood sentry in the doorway.

Mr. Carolius wasn’t happy about that and said with a very disrespectful nod towards the guard, “I believe this meeting was to be between us. He can go now.”

“Mr. Smith is here to observe. It's company policy.”

“I don’t care. Either he leaves, or I do.”

Kendra closed her eyes, praying for patience. The man was a prima donna of the first order and too used to having his own way. “Fine.” She smiled at the guard and nodded her head, “You can wait right outside the door.”

“I’ll be right here, Ms. O’Neill.”

Once the door was closed, Kendra invited Mr. Carolius to have a seat. “Please,” she gestured towards the chair in front of her desk.

She waited until he was seated, but before she could speak, he took the reins, “So, where is the necklace?”

Okay. He's really getting on my nerves now!
  Kendra handed him the pictures she’d taken of the necklace.

“What’s this? Where is the necklace? I didn’t come down here to look at a picture.”

“Mr. Carolius, company policy dictates that I can only show you the pictures at this point in time.”

“Look, Ms. O’Neill. That necklace belongs to me. The little whore Daisy stole it from me, and I want it back.”

“I understand this is difficult…”

“You don’t understand anything, so let me spell it out for you. I paid for the necklace. You have the necklace and I want it back. Now, I would strongly suggest you go retrieve it and let me get back to my busy life.”

Kendra held onto her temper, just barely.
Does he honestly think he can intimidate me into giving him the necklace? Try again!
“I would suggest you calm down for starters. If, as you have said, Daisy did in fact steal the necklace, then I will have no choice but to involve the police going forward.”

“No! You can’t do that!”

“If the necklace is stolen, I have no choice. Percy's doesn't deal with stolen pieces.” She watched as the man struggled to contain his anger. The instant he softened his face and voice, she knew he was going to take a different tact. She had to give him merits for playing the game well, but she'd been the business for too long, she knew all the tricks.

“Ms. O’Neill, surely we can come to some sort of agreement that benefits us both? What kind of a commission does your company pay you?”

“Mr. Carolius, I’m not for sale.” Kendra was digging her fingernails into her palms to help remind her to keep her cool no matter what. He was trying to make her feel cheap and she hated it. He was the stereotypical rich guy who preyed on younger, less fortunate women, throwing his money and power around and expecting everyone around him to bow low and kiss his feet.
Wrong girl, buddy!

“Why don’t we make a phone call to the police station? I’m sure they could break someone away to come out and take your statement…”

“That will not be necessary.” Mr. Carolius stared across the desk at her and then shook his head resignedly. “Look, I don’t need any more publicity right now. And this situation couldn’t have come up at a worse time.”

“Is there ever a good time?” she murmured.

He looked at her and then continued, “I do not want the police becoming involved in this situation with Daisy.”

Just as I thought. She didn’t steal it. He was making that up to try and convince me to give it back to him.
Kendra wanted to kick him out of her office, but she had to think about Percy’s and Daisy first.

“The way I see it, either the necklace has to go up for auction, or has to be purchased for a price that will satisfy the seller.”

“You expect me to purchase the necklace a second time?” he asked incredulously.

“I don’t see that you have another option.  If you don’t purchase the necklace, I will have to continue doing the appraisal and it will go to auction shortly. It will be advertised both online and in our monthly magazine as it is sure to bring a hefty sum, which will please my employer greatly.”

“Fine. I’ll write you a check tonight.”

“Sorry. But you are welcome to make an offer and I will run it by my boss in the morning and get her approval to present it to the owner.”

“Daisy will agree. Just remind her that she doesn’t want me as an enemy. Not unless she plans on moving out of the Chicago area.”

“I will present her with your offer. Let me get you the paperwork to fill out.” Kendra reached into her desk and pulled out the necessary forms. She sat back and watched him as he quickly filled out the dollar amount he was willing to pay to get the necklace back. It was about half the price she thought it was worth.

As he handed the forms back, he intentionally let his fingertips graze her wrist, “Now that this ugly business is past us, shall we have some dinner?”

Kendra tried not to make a face of disgust.
He’s hitting on me? Does he really think I want to be one of his throw-away conquests? A few minutes ago he was  trying to intimidate me! This guy is ridiculous. 

“You’re much prettier than my wife and Daisy combined together. Oh, the things I could show you. You deserve to be a star!”

Kendra tuned him out as he continued to talk badly about his soon-to-be ex-wife and his current and past lovers. She was thoroughly grossed out and just wanted him to leave.
He’s not even attractive. In fact, the thought of him trying to kiss me makes me want to throw up!

“I don’t think so. If our business here is finished…”

“Who do you think you are to turn me down? Do you know how many women would give their right ovary for a chance to date me?”

“Mr. Carolius, maybe you misunderstood me. I already have other plans for this evening and I’m running a little late due to our meeting.” She turned on her best smile and held it even when her skin began to crawl as he ogled her over.

“Well then. What about tomorrow?”

“No, I believe it is I who am missing out. Even if I wasn’t otherwise committed, company policy forbids me from dating a client while they are doing business with Percy’s. I’m very flattered by your offer, and under different circumstances…”

Kendra trailed off, letting him fill in the blanks. She held her breath hoping her answer would suffice him and he'd finally leave! Her ploy worked and he excused himself a moment later, reminding her that he'd be waiting to hear from her.

She sat at her desk, long after he was gone. When Mr. Carolius had been hitting on her, she'd realized that the only man she wanted to be with was Ryan.
You told him you didn’t want to see him, remember?

That depressing thought stuck with her on the drive home. She wanted to see him, but she couldn’t just show up at his place.
Call him! Now!
Hearing his voice would be better than nothing
.

That decision took root and she was determined to do just that when she opened the door to her apartment. She retrieved his number and then waited with fidgeting hands while the call was connected.

“Hey, you’ve reached Ryan. I’m not home right now, so leave a message and I’ll call you back in a few. Bye.”

Shit!
She left a message and hung up. Hearing his voice had been nice, but she had worked up her courage to talk to him and then he wasn’t home.
Now what?