The Arrangement [Box Set] (26 page)

Then she looked at Walter. The look on his face was the very last thing in the world she wanted to see. He looked enraged. He wasn’t moving, he couldn’t say anything, but April had never seen him so jealous and angry in her life. She knew she would have to face him later and her heart sank. She’d had no control over the situation at all, it was so unfair of him to hold it against her, but she knew he would. He might even hit her again. She wanted to cry. She realized she was afraid of him and really didn’t know what he was capable of anymore. She didn’t know why he’d agreed to have his wife treated like a whore if it was going to make him mad, but again, so few things made sense any more when it came to men.

Next, the older Andersen Strathern men, George and Jonathan, looked quite surprised. They seemed to be genuinely nice men, friendly and warm, and they were still trying to figure out where she’d been and what she’d been up to.

Finally, Midge’s face almost made her cry when she looked at it. There was nothing but kindness and compassion in her expression and all she wanted was to get back in the limo with her and drive home. If only she could do what she wanted.

IX

B
EFORE APRIL COULD EVEN TAKE
her seat, Walter was up and grabbing her by the wrist. Not only had she been forced to endure the humiliation of climbing out from under the table, now she was being visibly dragged through the dining room in front of all the diners.

When he got her to the lobby, he swung her around roughly. She would rather have been anywhere in the world than there with him. She could hardly look at him. He was so angry and full of hate. It was getting late and there was no one in the lobby other than the doormen, and even they were on the outside of the glass doors.

—You fucking slut, Walter said.

—Walter! What are you talking about?

—What am I talking about? Are you kidding me?

—I had no choice.

—You always have a choice.

—Walter! I’m completely powerless in all of this. It’s all arranged by you and the firm.

—You enjoy it, don’t you?

He came up to her and she braced herself. She couldn’t trust him not to get violent anymore. He didn’t hit her but he was so close and menacing she wished he would just do it and get it over with.

—You’re a slut, April. I’m not going to stand by and watch my wife get off with every man she meets.

She didn’t say anything. She didn’t know what to say. She hadn’t asked to be here. He had told her to come.

—Alright, Walter. I guess I’ll get in a cab and go home and wait for you. The dutiful wife. That’s what you want, right? Let me just tell Herb he’ll have to impress Andersen Strathern without me.

Walter looked at her and then past her back into the dining room where Herb was sitting with the clients.

—You bitch, he said and hit her hard across the face.

The impact of the strike stunned her. She just stood there in silence as tears of pain welled in her eyes like crystals of ice forming in winter. She looked before her at the man who was her husband and she didn’t know what to do. He was the one who was conflicted and disloyal, not her. He was the one who wanted her here, who wanted her winning business for the firm. It wasn’t her choice.

—Walter, she whispered but she didn’t even know what to say to him anymore.

The look on his face was one of complete rage and disgust. She could tell he hated her. He just stood there glaring at her with utter contempt and then, before she knew it, he’d struck her across the face again. The pain was blinding but it was the shock that really hit her. She was shaking. She didn’t know how to get herself out of this.

And then, out of nowhere there appeared the figure of a man behind Walter. Her eyes were still full of tears and at first she could just see a blurry outline. Then she made out the shape of the concierge she’d smiled at earlier dressed in the hotel’s distinctive red and black uniform.

—Is there a problem here? he said.

April’s eyes cleared enough to see him. He was about thirty with black stubble and a tanned face. He was tall and handsome in a rugged way, well built. He looked more like a lifeguard or a soccer player than a hotel concierge.

Of course Walter looked right past him. To Walter, the only thing that mattered was money, and anyone who worked at a hotel obviously didn’t have any.

—Get out of my face, Walter said to him harshly.

—Is there something you need help with, sir?

The way the employee spoke told April that he was confident. He maintained the politeness that a staff member at the Saint Regis would be expected to use toward a patron but there was something in his voice that made him sound in control of the situation despite the fact that he was calling Walter sir.

—Get lost, kid.

Walter turned back to April but before he could speak to her, the concierge had his hand on Walter’s shoulder and leaned in to speak in his ear.

—If you touch this lady one more time, buddy, you’re going to have a problem.

Walter was surprised at how brazen the concierge was. He looked at him anew. The man was obviously stronger than Walter, more muscular, taller, younger, but as always what it came down to for Walter was money.

—Excuse me? Walter said indignantly. Do you know who you’re speaking to? I’ll have your job.

—I’m not kidding, mister. I saw what you did. You lay another finger on her, you so much as think about it, and you’re going to have to answer to me.

Walter looked around for a manager or someone he could run to to make a complaint but there was no one. He eyed the employee but he lacked the confidence to get in a physical confrontation with him. Walter might be able to get the guy fired but he wasn’t willing to take a punch for it. Instead he grabbed April by the wrist and dragged her back into the dining room.

Before she was out of the lobby she turned back to thank the guy who had helped her. He was standing there, tall and strong, watching them leave. She had never seen anyone so handsome despite the fact that he was wearing that funny concierge uniform, and silently she mouthed a heartfelt Thank You.

X

W
HEN THEY GOT BACK TO
the dining room the others were already standing. April was finally able to join Midge at the far end of the table as they waited for Herb to lead them out of the restaurant.

—What happened? Midge said.

—I’ll tell you later.

—Did he hit you.

April nodded. She was grateful for Midge’s concern but she knew this wasn’t the time to discuss it. Midge put her hand on April’s arm to comfort her.

—They’ve had me under the table before, Midge said. I hate that old trick.

April said, —The whole time I was just wishing I could sit with you.

—I know. Me too.

—You had all the nice guys at your end.

Midge smiled consolingly.

—I don’t know how nice any of these guys are, she said.

They followed Herb out into the lobby. The guy who had helped her was still there, standing by the elevator with his head bowed, looking at the floor. Walter pretended not to see him but April knew he had it in for the guy. He would probably have him fired later. It was so unfair, she thought. This poor, handsome guy would probably lose his job for stepping in to defend her and there was nothing she could do about it. She felt a burn of hatred for Walter but she concealed it. Her cheeks were flushed enough from being slapped so much.

The concierge pushed the button for an elevator. When it arrived Herb stepped in, followed by Walter and the rest of the men. Midge went in with them and April stood outside, hesitating for a minute. She looked at her concierge and he looked up at her and smiled kindly. He was so handsome that she just wanted to grab him by the hand and make a run for it.

—April, honey, Walter said from inside the elevator, his voice scratchy and hoarse with anger.

She gave the boy in the uniform a last, sorrowful look before stepping into the elevator. As the doors closed she felt as if she was being locked into a prison. She prayed she would see that man again, the only person in the entire place willing to put his neck out to defend her.

The eleventh floor of the Saint Regis was reserved for luxury suites. This was the place where important politicians and wealthy businessmen stayed when they had business in the capital. Herb used a keycard to open the wide oak door leading to one of the suites.

—Midge, sweetheart, this is your room.

Midge was all smiles as she stepped forward into the suite. The room was of the most stunning luxury but April had such a feeling of dread in the pit of her stomach that she hardly noticed it. All nine of them stood at the wide entrance to the suite and watched as Midge walked toward the bed. She had a sexy, sophisticated sway in her hips and she looked stunning as she made her way to the huge, satin bed. When she got to it she slipped off her shoes, the red soles flashing elegantly, and crawled onto the bed on her hands and knees. April watched what Midge did carefully. She figured she would have to do the same thing when it was her turn. Midge adopted a position like a puppy on her hands and knees, facing the opposite wall so that her ass was facing the men at the door. The men were all smiling and nodding as they admired her cute bum in its vulnerable position.

Herb was already at the door to the next suite.

—This is your room, April.

April hadn’t pictured it being like this. She’d thought she would be with Midge all night. She’d been separated from her almost the entire time since they stepped out of the car. First during the meal and now in the bedroom she felt the loss of her friend’s company sorely. Midge seemed to be handling it a lot better but then she hadn’t been seated next to James and Edward during dinner, and she had a lot more experience in this life too.

The men all made their way to the door of her room and as she walked through them she tried to look as confident and sexy as Midge had. She let her hips sway in the same sexy rhythm Midge had used and when she got to the bed she didn’t look back but threw off her stilettos and climbed onto the bed on her hands and knees and adopted the same alluring position as Midge.

She felt like a cheap whore. Giving each girl separate rooms made the entire thing feel like a whorehouse. That was probably the intention. They were being treated like two animals on display. The men could peek in and choose whichever ass seemed tastier.

There was a door that could be used to connect the two suites and Herb opened it with his keycard so that the men could wander from one room to the other. April was facing the wall and she couldn’t bear to look up so she wasn’t quite sure who was in her room and who was in Midge’s. The men had poured themselves drinks from the minibar and seemed to be sipping them and smoking cigars as they milled between the rooms, admiring their two girls like prize ponies.

She started daydreaming about the guy who had saved her down in the lobby. She imagined what it would feel like if he stormed into the room right now and rescued her from this awful place. He had seemed so strong and sure of himself. He had real courage. He was just a concierge, his job was completely on the line, and yet that hadn’t stopped him from standing up to Walter.

She was brought out of her reverie by the sound of Herb’s voice. He was talking to Edward and they were standing close to her. The rest of the men were in Midge’s room and Herb was taking the opportunity to talk business with Edward.

—I can guarantee you the kind of discretion that no other firm can, Herb was saying.

—I’ve got to say, Herb, I’m impressed. This is a level of
intimacy
that I haven’t seen before.

—And this isn’t just entertainment, Herb said. This is family, Edward. These women are our
wives
. This is for real. You do business with us, you’re in our inner circle. We won’t drop your business no matter what. And we won’t balk at anything. Whatever you guys need done, we’re the firm that will do it, no questions asked.

April had never felt so disrespected in her life. They were speaking about sensitive, private matters as if she wasn’t even there. It was as if she was a piece of furniture. The cigar smoke stung her eyes and she was growing tired of maintaining the same position with complete stillness. She was dressed in her stunning satin and lace, pink dress with the white trim but she no longer felt glamorous at all. She felt ignored and disrespected, like she was utterly worthless. And just to highlight how little they thought of her, Edward leaned over and placed his whiskey glass on the small of her back. The ice-cold glass surprised her and it was a minute until she realized what had happened. She was actually being treated like a piece of furniture, literally. Now she had to remain completely still so as not to cause the glass to fall. She realized Edward probably knew this and was purposefully tormenting her. There was certainly a cruel streak in him and he knew how to make people suffer.

She remained perfectly still as the other men came into the room through the connecting door to Midge’s room.

—Check this out, James said when he saw Edward’s glass on her back. I never even thought of doing that.

April remained motionless and utterly humiliated as James came over and placed his glass next to Edward’s on her back. She’d never experienced anything like this in her life. They were using her back as a coffee table. She couldn’t move a muscle. If anyone sat on the side of the bed or bumped into her the glasses would spill. All of the men were in the room now and were quite amused that she was being used as a bar. Pete placed his drink between her shoulder blades and laughed when it almost spilled.

Then Walter came over. April got nervous as soon as she saw him coming. He had a glass of scotch and took a piece of ice from it with his fingers. He went round to the back of her and pulled up the skirt of her dress. It was the first time anyone had touched her since entering the room and she was afraid it would make her spill the drinks that were on her back. Her butt was completely exposed now, her crotchless panties revealed every single bit of her, and Walter took the piece of ice and placed it inside the crack of her bum and rubbed it back and forth, making it melt. The coldness of the ice made her shudder and she almost spilled the drinks. Then, in a gesture of utter contempt and derision, maybe even hatred, he flicked the ash of his cigar onto her back.