Awaken (13 page)

Don’t get ahead of yourself,
Lacey reflected
.
Right now, the relationship is all about sex. But how can I not get carried away when I slept with a guy as hot and confident as Cooper West?

The subway came to her stop. As she walked up the flight of stairs and onto the street, her cellphone rang. Lacey didn’t recognize the number.

“Hello.”

“Is this Lacey Winters?”

“It is.”

“Hello, Ms. Winters,” said a man’s voice. “My name is Craig with the Jameson Art Gallery in Tribeca. I was calling about your portfolio.”

Lacey was confused. The Jameson Art Gallery was a highly regarded gallery known for showcasing cutting edge photography. They liked to showcase new and upcoming artists to the public. Lacey had planned on showing the gallery some of her work in the future, but only when she felt confident about her talent. How could they possibly know about her portfolio?
 

When Craig mentioned Penelope stopped by last week and showed him some of her photos, Lacey’s heart stopped.

“She did what?” Lacey blurted nervously into the phone. “I’m so sorry. She shouldn’t have done that. I had no idea.”

Craig laughed. “No need to apologize, Miss Winters. If anything, you might want to thank your friend. I shared your portfolio with the owners, Mark and Cynthia. They were very impressed.”

Lacey couldn’t believe what she was hearing. Her heart pounded in her chest with joy.
 

“Really?” she asked, still not believing it could be true.

“Yes. Very much so,” Craig said in an assuring tone. “We were wondering if you’d be interested in being part of an exhibit we are doing in two months. We’re showcasing photographers and their depiction of sex in the city.”

Lacey’s stomach dropped. “Sex in the city?” she repeated.

“We want to see a new and exciting take on sex,” said Craig. “The shot you took of your friend was very honest, raw. If you’d like to provide us with more photos of the erotic experience, we would be very interested in showcasing them in our upcoming fall show.”

“The erotic experience?” Lacey repeated. Her head began to spin. Was this really happening? Just when she got a new job at a conservative website?

“I’m sorry, Miss Winters,” said Craig. “I have another call. The show’s in two months. Give us a call back if you’re interested in showing us more of your work.” He hung up.

Lacey felt like the wind had been knocked out of her. She was thrilled and petrified at the same time. She felt an anxiety attack coming on. She had just been hired for a good paying job as a staff photographer. Was she willing to risk losing it just so she could finally have her own gallery showing? Lacey tried to control her breathing to calm herself down. She leaned against the brick wall of a building a few blocks from her apartment. She looked up at the sky.
 

All this is happening on the same day,
she thought.
The universe is seriously fucking with me right now
.

As night descended on the city, Cooper swirled the scotch in his glass and took another sip. From his penthouse apartment, he watched the concrete jungle burn to life with neon lights. It took Cooper hard work and determination to claw his way to the top of Manhattan. He wasn’t about to let Mimi Roberts jeopardize it all.
 

As he took another sip from his drink, Cooper reflected on their relationship. She had been his assistant at Club Nectar for nearly a year now. They met at the club. After he fucked her in front of the crowd, Mimi wanted more. But he refused. Mimi didn’t take no for an answer and took matters into her own hands.
 

She began studying the guests that visited the club. And one by one, she did her own background check on every member. After months of cyber-stalking, she connected the dots and discovered Cooper was the Master. Since he was such a prominent businessman, Mimi knew he would do anything to keep his identity a secret.
Feeling like she had an ace up her sleeve, she confronted him. To say Cooper wasn’t pleased was an understatement. He was furious.
 

Mimi explained that she went to such lengths because she was desperate to be with him. Cooper knew she was unstable. When Mimi threatened to expose who he was, he tried to calm her down. That’s how their current arrangement was established. She would act as his assistant at Nectar. In addition, Cooper agreed to pleasure her in front of the crowd on several occasions. Their relationship remained strictly within the confines of the club. It appeared to be working, until yesterday, when Mimi came to his office.
 

The doorbell rang. Cooper had told the doorman to send her straight up. When he opened the door, Mimi looked at him with a smile. But when she saw that he was still angry with her, she quickly lowered her gaze. Cooper didn’t say anything. He just turned around and walked back into his living room, holding his glass. Mimi followed him inside, closing the door behind her.
   

They stood in silence. Cooper had his back turned, looking out the floor-to-ceiling windows at the city below. Mimi stood behind him, wringing her hands.

“I’m sorry,” Mimi said nervously. “I shouldn’t have visited you yesterday morning.”
 

“Sorry doesn’t cut it, Mimi.” Cooper took a sip of his scotch and still would not face her. After a long pause, he finally said, “I think you’ve allowed this relationship to become too personal.” His tone was cold, impersonal.

Mimi feared the worst was about to happen. “What are you saying?” she asked, her question bathed in worry.

“I don’t require your assistance at Nectar anymore,” Cooper responded flatly.

Mimi’s heart caught in her chest. She took a few quick steps forward. “I’ll never do it again. I promise.”

“It’s too late for promises,” Cooper sighed. He finally turned around and faced her. “The arrangement we have must come to an end.”
 

Cooper noticed her eyes flashed wild with desperation. He took a few steps toward her. “I know you don’t have any family in the city,” he said, carefully. “So I thought it might be best for you to start a fresh life somewhere new. I’ve made some calls and I can get you a job working at Oasis Consulting as an executive assistant.” He paused before revealing the next part of his plan. “In Chicago.”

He noticed confusion and shock sweep across Mimi’s face.

“I’ve also found you an apartment in the Edgewater neighborhood. It’s very nice and an easy commute to your new job,” he added.

Cooper knew this was hurting her, but he needed to continue. He reached into his back pocket and removed a check. “This won’t be an easy transition for you, so I thought I’d give you three million dollars to help you start your new life.”

Mimi stared blankly at the check in his hand. Her face turned a ghostly pale–white. Cooper motioned again with the check, but Mimi didn’t take it.
 

“You’re getting rid of me,” she finally muttered, tears forming in her eyes.

“It’s time we move on from each other.”
 

“But I thought we had a special relationship. You need me,” pleaded Mimi, staring at him. “I’m the only one who understands you, Cooper. Who’s going to be your assistant at Nectar? How will you do your show without me?” She stopped as she had a realization. “It’s that girl,” Mimi spat.
 
“You want her to be your new assistant. That’s why you’re getting rid of me.” Her face was now flush with anger.

Cooper sighed and shook his head.

“No. She’s not going to be my assistant,” said Cooper, trying to remain calm. “I want to end this arrangement because you broke the rules, Mimi. You showed up at my office. I can’t trust you anymore. This has nothing to do with anyone else. Now take the check and start a new life in Chicago.”

Cooper tried to hand her the check once again, but Mimi took a step back. She glanced at the check with disgust and then back at Cooper. Tears were now streaming down her cheeks. “Fuck you,” she shouted. “I don’t need your money. But don’t worry, you’ll never see me again.”

She turned and ran out of the room. The door to his apartment slammed shut.
 

Cooper lowered his head and sighed. He took the check and put it back in his pocket. Then he took another sip of his scotch.
 

He hated being such an asshole, but it was his best survival tactic.

Lacey calmed herself down by taking several deep, slow breaths. She walked the few blocks from the subway to her building. Once inside her apartment, she ran a hot bath. The warm water against her skin made her feel better. Later that evening, she texted Penelope and asked her if they could meet for a drink.
 

“I told you those pictures were hot,” exclaimed Penelope as she lifted a martini to her lips.

They were sitting in a corner table at The Wicked Crow, a local watering hole.

“I know. I know,” repeated Lacey. “I just wished you had told me before you showed them my portfolio.”

Penelope shook her head. “That wouldn’t have worked. You would have told me not to do it. You would have said ‘it’s too soon. I’m not good enough. I don’t want to blow a first impression’.”

Lacey nodded as she took a sip of her martini. “You’re probably right.”

“When I heard about the gallery’s next theme,” said Penelope. “I knew you’d be perfect for it. So I marched right in and showed them your work. And just like I expected, they loved it.”
 

Lacey looked at her friend. “You’re right. What you did was awesome. If it wasn’t for you, I wouldn’t be facing this dilemma.”

Penelope looked confused. “Dilemma? This is awesome, Lacey! You’re going to have your first exhibit. How’s that a problem?”

 
Lacey sighed. “I’m just worried. If I participate in an exhibit of erotic imagery it might tarnish my reputation. I just got a job as a staff photographer for this website, and the woman there made it pretty clear that they cater to conservative clientele. What if they found out I’m participating in that gallery showing and they fire me?”

“Do you really think that might happen?” Penelope asked.

“I don’t know. It might,” said Lacey. “And what if this exhibit impacts my ability to get future work in the corporate world? A big company may decide not to hire me because they don’t want to associate their brand with my images.”

Penelope took a sip of her drink and offered a slight shrug. “I see your point. Society is fucked up when it comes to sex.”

“The thing that makes this infuriating,” confided Lacey, as she leaned forward. “Is that I love the idea of the show. Ever since meeting you and being introduced to Nectar, I’ve discovered how little I know about sex – what I like. It’s as if I’m discovering my body for the first time. This gallery showing is a perfect way to explore that even further, artistically I mean. I’ve already got some cool ideas I’d like to shoot, but is it worth the risk?”

Penelope gave her friend a loving glance. “You know what I think.”

“You think I should do it.”

“Fuckin-A,” beamed Penelope. Her eyes lit up. “Nico and I can do a shoot together for you,” she said excitedly. “That would be so hot. And maybe we can even get Savannah to let you shoot inside the club. How awesome would that be?”

Lacey sighed. Penelope had none of her hang-ups or reservations. “I don’t know,” she said with hesitation.

Penelope reached across the table and took Lacey’s hand.

“Listen, this is just my opinion. What does your boyfriend think?”

Lacey looked at her confused. “What boyfriend?”

Penelope looked surprised. “Hello…Mr. Billionaire. I thought you started seeing him again?”

Lacey shook her head. “He’s not my boyfriend. We’re just sleeping together. It’s complicated. Besides, this isn’t something I’d talk to him about.”

“Look at you girl,” said Penelope with a wicked smirk. Then she had another thought. “Hey, why don’t you ask another photographer for advice? See if you really have anything to worry about if you participate in the show. What about that woman you met at that gallery opening?”

“Joanna Hunt?”

Penelope nodded. “Isn’t she your idol? Why not ask her what she thinks? She’s got more experience in the field, and you said she seemed really helpful.”

“That’s not a bad idea,” agreed Lacey, thankful she had Penelope in her life.

“You know what,” added her good friend, leaning forward, her face suddenly serious. “I think everything you’ve gone through has led you to this moment – this decision.”

As she took a sip from her drink, Lacey wondered if Penelope might be right.

Cooper couldn’t sleep. He was worried about Mimi. He hoped she didn’t do anything rash, like go to the press or speak to someone in the media about his role at Nectar. A year ago, when they agreed to their arrangement, Cooper made her sign a confidentiality agreement similar to the one Lacey had yet to sign. But when he saw how upset Mimi got when he offered her the check, he worried she might not care about the ramifications of exposing him.
 

She’s unstable,
Cooper thought.
Who knows what she might do.

Cooper sat up in bed and rubbed the back of his neck. His role as the Master and his life as Cooper West were colliding.
 

All of these headaches because he promised himself almost ten years ago to never get emotionally close to a woman – not after what happened with Julia.

That’s why the persona of the Master existed. It was a way for him to keep his sex life separate from his personal life. The Master wasn’t interested in being intimate with a woman – there would be no kissing, no expressions of love. The Master wanted to dominate you and give you the best sex of your life, with no emotional involvement.

Cooper needed to keep this in mind when he saw Lacey again. Since he wasn’t going to be wearing his mask with her, it was critical he maintain his emotional distance. That meant no kissing – no matter how tempting, welcoming, warm and comforting her lips appeared.