Take Cover (4 page)

“What do you want Shane?”

I was in no mood to deal with my little brother. When he called, stating that he needed to speak to me, I told him to come over the house. I wasn’t sure what the hell he wanted, but whatever it was, I knew it wasn’t good by the disturbed tone of his voice.

“No sense of wasting time with hellos, I see,” he jested, as he walked through the door holding a manila folder in his hands.

Dressed in a tailored blue suit and white shirt, I knew that he had been to the office, and I couldn’t help but feel annoyed.

Motioning to the living room, he ambled over to the couch and had a seat, while I sat directly across from him. He didn’t look directly at me. Instead, his eyes roamed over the place as if he saw it for the first time.

“What’s going on?” I asked, growing impatient. I had too much on my mind to deal with one of Shane’s crisis. His idea of a problem normally involved strippers and a trip to the closest abortion clinic.

Shaking my head at the thought, I leaned back into the couch and waited for the inevitable.

“How much do you trust that wife of yours?” Shane asked, in a low tone, too low, actually.

I cocked my eyebrow, wondering what he was getting at. “What the hell are you talking about?”

Shane rose to his feet and began pacing my living room, his hands firmly in his pocket and his face frowning in deep thought. I followed his pacing, watching him move from one side of the couch and back, until finally he stopped.

“I discovered something while I was handling things at the office. Something I just couldn’t ignore. I wanted to bring it up to you before, but thought against it since you had so much on your plate at the time.”

I nodded my head, remembering the fact that I had caused Emily to get into an accident, my heart breaking each time I looked at her still body at the hospital. It was, indeed, a rough time.

“What is your discovery?”

Shane released a heavy sigh and resumed his pacing. “Someone is releasing information to The Ivy, man. I just fucking know it. Some of the minutes I reviewed spoke about our overseas projects. I know you and our father well enough to know, that you both keep a tight lid on any project that hasn’t been solidified,” he began, before turning to face me. “I have the paperwork here, something about this isn’t right.” He finished before stretching the file toward me.

Standing to my feet, I grabbed the file out of his hand, angry at the thought that someone at Belmont Industries could have possibly turned to the other side.

After everything I had done to ensure that my employees were treated as partners
, I thought to myself, shaking my head.

I had devoted all my time and energy into making the company what it was today. The thought that a mole was in our midst made me angry.

I slumped back into the couch, ready to see just what Shane had discovered, when a thought came to mind.

This isn’t your problem, anymore. According to your dear father, you no longer worked at Belmont International.

Grunting, I threw the file back at Shane, the papers scattering on the floor as I did. “Take it to Father. It’s his problem to deal with, now.”

Shocked, Shane picked up the papers. “You’re not even going to look them over?”

I shook my head, all the while clenching my jaw. I had to accept that I was no longer a part of Belmont International. Just as I needed to move on from Emily, so did I need to move on from the family business.

Who knows? I could even start my own chain of exclusive hotels.

“Look, I know you’re upset about what Dad did. Heck, I was upset by it, but don’t let the old man keep you from what you’re good at. Shit, I could have never turned that company into a multi-million dollar corporation, but you did,” he began, before placing the files he had picked up from the floor back on the couch. “Just think about it, bro.”

Shortly after Shane left, I decided I needed to get some air. Being back in my home only brought me turmoil.

Memories of Emily still haunted the space, making me want to be as far away from it, as possible.

I knew I couldn’t stay at Charlette’s either, since the woman was fucking upset with me.

What was it that women wanted?
This had been the question swirling in my mind, as I came to a complete stop after hitting the heavy California traffic. Initially, I had been genuinely sorry for upsetting Charlette, but as the night ended and morning came, I became angry.

What had she expected of me? Due to Charlette’s outlandish, childish, and dangerous behavior, I had just lost the most important woman in my life.  She seemed to think, I would be able to completely erase Emily out of my heart. It was fucking impossible. I had tried it before and failed. I would never forget! Never forget what we shared. Charlette would either have to come to grips with that and accept it, or release me of my marital contract and go on her merry way. Emily was not a woman I could easily remove from my life. Even though, it hurt to no end that she hadn’t thought the same of me.

Punching a few keys into the dashboard console, I dialed Charlette’s driver; we needed to talk and clear things up, once and for all.

“Sam, is Ms. Delacroix currently on the estate?” I asked the second he answered. I needed to know her whereabouts, before I gave him instructions for the evening.

When he confirmed that Charlette hadn’t left the house since I departed, I rolled my eyes, but continued. “Inform Charlette, that we will be having dinner with my father tonight, at eight. I will text you the address. Please be sure to stress that this is a non-negotiable meeting,” I informed him before hanging up.

It had been several days since the hospital, and I had not attempted to repair my life. Instead, I had been living on autopilot, going through the motions and trying my best to push all thoughts of Emily out of my mind. Tonight, would be the start of a new life for me—one without Emily. Though, I may not have control over my memories... Her scent, her laugh, her breathtaking smile, the feeling of her core clenching around my cock as I buried myself deep inside her sweet, tight, delicious pussy. One thing was for sure... I needed to move on with my life. To do that, I needed to be the Julien Belmont I once was, and not the pathetic man she had created.

The fact that my father fired me, when I refused to end my relationship with Emily, still pissed me off. I had made the business what it was today. Without me, Belmont International wouldn’t have the expansions it had today. Nonetheless, my father chose to use my love of my work as leverage to make me yield to his command. It wasn’t a hardship for me at the time. I believed Emily and I had a future, but now... given the circumstances,
her betrayal
, I needed to rectify the situation.

Emily had chosen to, yet again, walk away from what we shared. She walked away from me. Though my heart still fought to beat for her, I could never allow my head to follow it, again

I had allowed my heart to lead me to this painful place, trusting that I would be with the woman I loved, but love was no longer here.

After punching another set of keys into the dashboard, my father’s voice rang through the car. “Mon fils,
my son
. I hear you’re coming to your senses and are no longer behaving like a vagabond,” he boasted, with what I knew was a grin on his face.

“Father. Nice to hear from you, too,” I grunted. “Are you available to meet for dinner tonight, around eight?” I asked, keeping my voice as even and calm, as possible. A task I had learned to perfect when dealing with my father.

He agreed happily, no doubt believing that his ploy had been successful. I wouldn’t give him the satisfaction, since I couldn’t very well admit to the man that Emily had left me. That would be completely unacceptable, and I would never hear the end of it.

Although, I didn’t want to admit to him earlier, he had been right. My business had been the one thing in my life that I had excelled at. God knew my relationships were all a horrid mess. But the company... that had been my calling.

For now, I would meet with him, take back my position within the company, and attempt to mend things, as best as I could, with my wife.

God, I hate referring to that woman as my wife.

Remembering, Shane’s earlier question about Charlette, I made a mental note to check out the papers he had left behind.

The plan was simple, and yet if any part of it fell apart, we would be screwed and possibly thrown in jail. We needed to be sure that we followed the course of the strategy to the letter. Shane had gone over the plan with me several times over the last few days.

“If we want any chance of this working, we need to get my father on board. I have already spoken to him, so he’s as good as a go. Julien never mentioned it, but one reason that bitch took my father’s deal had to do with the fact that her company was going under quickly, after her father’s passing. My guess is, if we can convince him that Charlette is trying to destroy the company, then he will destroy her for us,” he smirked. He brought his glass to his lips and winked, as we sat at a table in a, far too fancy, rooftop restaurant.

Shane had insisted I allow him to take me out, since I hadn’t eaten much since leaving the hospital. He picked an uppity place, much like the one I used to work at but in a more discreet part of Los Angeles.

The place wasn’t anywhere near filled to capacity but had enough people that the murmurs filled the room.

The décor was perfect and jaw dropping, with long, dark wood plank flooring throughout. The cream colored square columns went from the high ceilings to the floor, and a warm vibe from rich wood tones enveloped the entire restaurant. Stunning contemporary, single lit, wooden fixtures cast a warm glow over each table. An open floor plan lead to a dining patio, which offered fireside dining. It was absolutely breathtaking.

Shane may have not been the ‘successful’ Belmont brother, but he sure enjoyed the finer things in life, despite the fact that he lived a very carefree party filled life.

“We can’t risk the media thinking that I have stolen you from my big brother,”
he joked, when I asked him why we were going an extra hour away. There were plenty of restaurants we could have gone to, mine included.

My mind drifted to Julien, and the possibility that he was home alone, right at this very minute, drinking day in and day out, since the breakup. It would have been great to come to a place so exquisite with him, instead of Shane. But, I had broken his heart; cast him aside, so that I would be free to rid our lives of the one thing standing in our way.

According to Shane, Julien had been looking to buy out The Crown Ivy, a chain of hotels that had not been doing well. It had been a rival company since the very start of Belmont International.

For years, they had been poaching Julien’s staff, offering the thankfully loyal employees everything from better wages to company cars, in hopes that they would obtain insider information. They had even gone as far as sending in a mole into the company.

When Julien found out, he was livid, but somehow, he didn’t react though he took their tactics very personally. He had decided to play it smart and waited for the right opportunity to get them where it hurt. He worked hard on revamping Belmont International and spent millions on a new and improved marketing team. This led to an outstanding increase of business and to a decrease of revenue for The Crown Ivy.

The takeover of The Crown Ivy wasn’t public knowledge since the attorneys for both sides had yet to agree on the terms. Apparently, The Crown Ivy had been resistant, but appeared to be close to caving. Only Julien and his father knew the details of this. Shane only found out about it during the time that he filled in for Julien, right after my car accident. If Belmont International acquired the chain, it would officially make them the biggest and the richest chain of hotels in the entire world.

Shane believed that if we could make it appear that Charlette’s sudden interest in Julien was merely an attempt to steal their business venture, then their father would go for blood.

It seemed that Mr. Belmont didn’t take too kindly to people stepping on his toes. In order for our plan to work, we needed physical proof.

Shane had already started the first phase by obtaining the documents he needed from Julien’s office and bringing them over to his home. Going off of the appearance that Charlette was seeking revenge on Julien, for attempting to take her company away from her, Shane believed his plan to be ironclad. 

I had been surprised to learn of Julien’s plan to force Charlette to sign his divorce papers and thought it was sweet of him to attempt to force her hand. There was no doubt that the woman was bat-shit-crazy, since the fucking woman tried to kill me not long after receiving the papers.

The second phase of the plan was where I came into play. Shane believed that Julien would soon reach out to his father in regards to returning to the company. Since I knew the layout and the mind of Julien, I needed to get back the document and plant the papers in Charlette’s home. How I was going to do that? I wasn’t sure yet, but Shane said that he had it all covered, though he hadn’t yet offered the details.

Once Julien became suspicious, Shane would release vital confidential information regarding the expansion Julien had singlehandedly developed to the media. If all went according to plan, Julien’s father would demand that Julien find out who was leaking the information, and Shane would make sure that Julien suspected Charlette.

“I understand the plan,” I sighed, as I lifted my wine glass and took a sip of the velvety, dark, garnet red wine. I closed my eyes and nearly moaned at the delicious flavors of mocha, blackberry, and black cherry, with hints of spice and caramelized oak that danced on my tongue.

When I opened my eyes, Shane was staring at me with a knowing look, “I take it you approve of my selection?” he asked with a smirk.

I groaned my response and took another hefty sip.
The wine was almost as good as sex with Julien.

“Take it easy there, girl. I don’t do platonic drunks and you still haven’t eaten, yet,” he jested, as I released a huff and placed my glass on the table.

“Are you sure this is the right way to go?” I asked him once again, like I had been over the last several days.

He nodded his head adamantly, “Oh, it’s going to work. When it comes to business, crossing my father and Julien is a sure fire way to death. By the time they get through with her, she’ll have absolutely nothing,” he practically squealed.

I bit my lip and looked up at him, “ But I thought I’d get to kick her ass. This plan is just so...vanilla.”

Shane stared at me for a few minutes and then burst into hysterical laughter. “Ah... you are feisty,” he finally said, as he caught his breath.

I smiled back and chuckled myself, shaking my head at him.

“Ok... I’m good now. Sorry, but that was funny, you gotta admit,” he began, as he tried to steady his breathing. “But...umm seriously, Emily, kicking her ass is a temporary fix. She will just come after you, again. If you want to destroy a woman like Charlette fucking Delacroix, then you need to hurt her where she cares the most,” he declared. He raised his nearly finished wine glass, signaling me to lift my own which was also nearly finished.

“It’s time to take that bitch out,” he toasted.

We clanked glasses and took our sips before I mustered up enough courage to ask him what had been plaguing my heart since leaving the hospital.

“How is he doing?” is all I managed to get out in a soft saddened voice, my eyes falling to my lap. I felt horrible for walking away from our relationship, but it was for his own good; it was for us. I just prayed that when this was all over with that he would understand why I had done it.

Shane released a labored breath and ran his hands through his hair, “To be honest, he seemed okay. Stressed out, but okay. I plan on going by, after we wrap things up. Maybe I could cheer him up, a little.”

I winced, knowing Shane’s very much a ladies’ man and would more than likely take Julien to a club to cheer him up.

The waiter appeared with Shane’s selections and it looked absolutely delicious. My mouth watered at the sight of the sizzling filet mignon with crispy fried shallots and horseradish crème fraiche.

Initially, I had been annoyed when we arrived and Shane insisted on ordering for me, but my-oh-my, I love his taste in fine dining. My stomach grumbled in agreement, and Shane did his best not to laugh at my expense.

The waiter cleared out our now emptied wine glasses and turned away, leaving us to enjoy the beautifully plated food before me. A ping of sadness gripped my heart when I took my first bite.

I had fallen in love with food since I first began eating solid foods. I worked hard to retain top of my class standing, and had successfully managed to work for a restaurant I loved, earning the sous chef position, even while still suffering from amnesia. It made me sad that I couldn’t remember the last meal I had cooked.

I had called the restaurant and informed them of the recent attack on my life. They had graciously given me the time off I requested, but I was throwing away a big part of my life for Julien, for us. Though I didn’t regret my decision, I still missed cooking.

“Father hasn’t heard from him, either,” muttered Shane in between bites, not bothering to look up from his plate. I smiled softly, enjoying the fact that he was a foodie just like me.

“He’s upset, though he tried hard to seem nonchalant about it. But, I know him, almost as well as I know my big brother.”

Noticing my uneasiness, Shane reached over for my hand. “Hey. Don’t worry. Once Julien knows why you broke his heart, he will forgive you. He loves you,” he stated at the end with a smirk. “Fuck, you turned him into a fucking love sick puppy. He isn’t going anywhere, trust me.”

I knew that Shane meant to offer me some comfort, but there was nothing comforting about Julien being depressed because of me. I needed him back, and the only way that would happen was if we executed this plan with perfection.

It didn’t help much that Shane was the splitting image of his brother; only Julien was by far the hotter of the two. I wasn’t sure how long I could last being away from Julien, knowing my body craved him day in and day out. It was like depriving it of food. I was starving, despite the decadent meal before me, and only Julien could feed the need within me.

We finished our meal in comfortable silence and Shane paid the check and left a hefty three hundred dollar tip. The waiter didn’t even flinch when he saw the outrageous amount. I was in the wrong business clearly, hiding out in the kitchen while the wait staff collected all the benefits, I mused to myself, as Shane escorted me out.

His hand rested on the small of my back, as we exited the elevator which led us to the ground floor. I knew he was simply being a gentleman, but the gesture seemed too intimate and made me feel uncomfortable.

I pushed the thought out of my mind as we walked out of the restaurant, thinking it silly to feel uncomfortable around Shane. He was Julien’s brother, after all.

Shane signaled for the valet attendant to get his car. I took the time to check my cell phone, though I knew I had no missed calls.

I hadn’t heard from Diana or Suzie since the hospital, though my distance from Suzie was for completely different reasons. I asked her to give me time. She protested at first, but after several missed calls she finally gave me what I needed. I knew her giving in had more to do with my spending time with Shane, though she would never admit it.

After confirming that I had no messages, I decided to send her a quick text asking her to come over, if she was free.

Suzie: “About fucking time you came to your senses and realized you needed your bestie!”

Me: “You know I can’t go long without you, babe. So are you coming over?”

Suzie: “Already on my way. Be there in an hour chick. ;)”

I smiled as I tucked my phone away and looked up expecting to find Shane waiting for me with the car; instead the sight before me caused me to gasp for air, my world completely shattered.

This couldn’t be happening.

Shane’s hand came around me, just in time, as my legs gave way, and I fell back onto his strong, solid chest.

“Fuck,” was all he said, as he tried to help me straighten up.